Back To The Past
by HuddyJoy0524
Summary: When Robert and Cora wake up one morning in the year 2010, it's up to Carson and Mrs Hughes (with the help of rest of the household) to figure out how to get them back. A dual Cobert/Chelsie fic. Will contain some sci-fi/action.
1. Dust

_This story was inspired in 3 parts, I believe. Watching "Freezing" with the ever amazing Hugh Bon and Liz, watching too much "Twilight Zone," and my bizarre mind. This is not an AU, but flirts with that line. It will be as much a Carson/Hughes story as a Robert/Cora one and may turn into a bit of an action fic. _

_PLEASE PLEASE leave me reviews/comments, etc. I won't continue this unless you all are enjoying it._

Robert turned to look at his wife in the bed beside him and tried to suppress a sigh. While they had reconciled after Sybil's death, it had been a fragile one and he found that his wife was not often "with him" as she had once been. In more ways than one. Robert felt incredibly lonely; a loneliness that crept into his heart and wrapped its vicious fingers around it and squeezed. Squeezed until he felt he would suffocate.

Robert's hopes surged the other day when Cora viciously defended him against Matthew's harsh words, but nothing changed afterwards. Perhaps she had merely been fulfilling her duties as a wife. It further depressed him when he thought of how his heart had briefly soared only to come crashing back down almost immediately.

He wanted to grab her and kiss her. Like he used to. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was about Sybil. He wanted her to know he was trying. Trying SO hard to change. He wanted her to look at him the way she used to. And more than anything else, he wanted to tell her he loved her. Perhaps now more than ever. Why was it SO hard?

He leaned his head back against the pillows, thinking. She looked up after a couple moments and blinked. "What is it, Robert?"

He shook his head. "Nothing, nothing." He turned back to his own book, mentally kicking himself for raising her suspicions.

She squinted at him and then shut her book and placed it neatly next to her on the desk. "What is it, my dear?" She crossed her arms and looked at him. With patience? Care? Annoyance? Robert couldn't tell. He could never tell anymore.

"Do you really think that this arrangement with Matthew and Tom will work?" He blurted without thinking.

Cora frowned slightly. "I don't see why not. You are all grown men, Robert. I have confidence that you will make it work."

"But what if they don't need me?" He fiddled with the bed sheets in front of him, refusing to meet her eyes. Cora scooted closer and rested her chin on her husband's chest, looking up at his face. "They will always need you. We all will."

He looked at her then. Her big blue eyes were staring into his own and they were filled with pity. Pity. He turned away from her, then. Even SHE thought him a failure.

"I'm very tired," he said quietly and reached over to switch his light off forcing her back to her side of the bed.

"Robert?" Cora asked quietly.

He didn't respond.

DA

Carson stared down at his ledger, willing himself to focus. He slammed it shut and looked ahead into the fire. It was after eight and Mrs. Hughes had not been in to see him yet. They always sat up together on Wednesday nights to talk and have a glass of wine.

Yet, he knew. They had gotten into another spat again earlier that afternoon. It was over something rather silly, of course, but she had rolled her eyes at him, nonetheless. She'd been doing that a lot lately. Was his presence such a frustration, such a burden to her now? Lately, it seemed, everything he said upset her.

He knew, deep down, that he'd been difficult recently. Unreasonable, even, about many things. But this was a house of tradition and order. To break that would break everything the house stood for. What he stood for.

Standing up, he resolved to go and speak with her. Talk to her. He could not bear to sit in the pantry alone. Closing the door gently behind him, he walked towards the steps and nearly ran into her coming out from the opposite direction also heading for the steps.

"Mr. Carson!" She started, taking a step back. "You frightened me!"

"I apologize, Mrs. Hughes," he bowed slightly.

She smiled slightly. "Heading to bed so soon?"

"Well, actually…." He trailed off awkwardly. "I came to look for you" he replied quickly.

"Me?" She looked at him strangely. "Whatever for, Mr. Carson? I…" She stopped then and put a hand to her forehead. "Oh, dear me. I've forgotten." She looked up at the butler sheepishly.

"It's quite alright, Mrs. Hughes." He smiled. She did not appear to be mad at him any longer and that alone made him feel better.

"Shall we tomorrow?" She placed a hand on his arm and he felt his arm grow warm at her touch. He nodded, ignoring the sensation and she smiled gently. She started up the steps and then stopped, however, and turned back around. Her face was pensive.

"Mr. Carson, I DO believe we need to do something about Alfred and Jimmy."

Carson frowned, then. "Yes, I'm afraid we do," he said rather seriously, his drawl deepening with the seriousness of the subject. "After the Thomas fiasco…."

"Mr. Carson it was not a fiasco…" she rolled her eyes and started back down the steps. There it was. Again. Why such a reaction from her?

Standing on the third step, she was eye to eye with him. "But we must make sure that the boys are able to work with one another. Perhaps if you spoke with them…"

"Me?" Mr. Carson asked, rather shocked. "Whatever for?"

"Well as they serve under you and you are more experienced of the world than they are…"

"If I recall correctly, you have much more experience with that sort of thing" Carson responded, in a huff.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" She put her hands on her hips.

"You know very well to what I am referring," he puffed his chest out and stood up straighter.

She glared at him, turned back around and started marching back up the steps.

"Where are you going?" Carson asked, his voice a mixture of anger, confusion, and desperation.

"I'm afraid my presence taints the mighty ground that Charles Carson walks upon" she responded. She swiveled back around to face him, her hand still resting on the banister.

"Don't be ridiculous, Mrs. Hughes" Carson responded.

"I am certainly NOT being ridiculous. Good NIGHT Mr. Carson" she continued up the steps, slamming the door shut. Carson cringed. His shoulders slumped and he turned back around to head for the pantry. He had tried and, once again, failed. He was nothing but a failure. An old man without a family, without a place in a modern world, without the one person he cared more for than the entire world.

DA

Sunlight streamed into the window and Robert groaned. What time was it? He felt like he hadn't slept at all. He turned over and buried his face into his pillow. Suddenly, he sneezed. He picked his head up and sneezed again. His pillow was covered with dust.

"What the…" He swiped at it with his hand and turned to face his sleeping wife's back. He scooted closer to her and attempted to go back to sleep. He sneezed again.

"Darling…you have a cold?" Cora murmured sleepily next to him.

"Gdfsjsdk…" He mumbled and rolled over onto his back and rubbed his eyes. He opened them slowly and blinked a few times. The canopy of their bed was a different color. He looked across the room, his eyes still blurry with sleep. His wife's wardrobe was gone.

Robert sat up in bed suddenly and rubbed his eyes again before looking up and across the room. Nope. Her wardrobe was definitely gone.

He swiveled his head to face the door and noticed it was wide open. A long thick rope was draped across the opening. "What the…" Robert said again. He looked over next to his wife and noticed the wardrobe sitting in the corner. How had an entire wardrobe moved in the middle of the night…? Robert swung his legs over the side of the bed and attempted to stand up.

"ACK!" He cried. His legs had unknowingly tangled in the sheets and he landed hard on the floor. "DAMMIT!" He yelled.

Cora startled awake and reached for Robert in the bed beside her. She looked over and saw her husband lying on the floor. She scrambled over to the side of the bed, her face concerned. "Robert! Robert are you alright!?"

"No I am not bloody well alright look at our ROOM!" He gestured ahead of him. Cora looked up, then, and observed their surroundings.

She turned back to face Robert her face one of confusion and panic. She threw the covers back and got out of the bed. This set a flying cloud of dust into the air and Robert sneezed again.

Cora scrambled up and walked over to her wardrobe. She threw the doors open. A single dress was hanging, covered in dust. "This isn't mine!" She made a face of disgust before slamming the doors shut.

She walked quickly over to her vanity. A dusty hairbrush lay there alongside a fake set of pearls and some earrings. She picked up one of them. "This is not my jewelry either! Robert! What is going on?!" She turned to look at her husband who was still sitting on the floor, dumbfounded.

She ran over and kneeled next to her husband. "Have we…have we been robbed?"

Robert shook his head. "I don't think so. Why is there so much dust?" He sneezed.

"I'll ring for O'Brien," Cora replied with desperation. She reached over and pulled the cord by the side of the bed.

"Go check the bathroom" Robert said, standing up and rubbing his butt. Cora walked over and turned the knob. The door squeaked open. The bathub was gone. ALL of their things were gone. Not even a toothbrush left. Cora put her head in her hands and tried to calm her breathing. She could feel herself starting to panic.

"CORA" Robert cried from the other room. Cora turned and skiddes out of the bathroom, nearly falling flat on her face in the process. Robert was standing on the other side of the rope his face ashen.

"Darling what is it?" Cora asked, horrified. Robert pointed to something on the other side of the door. Cora stepped daintily over the rope and saw her husband pointing to a large plaque.

_Master Bedroom_

_ This is where Lord and Lady Grantham would have slept. It was quite common for married couples to sleep in separate beds at the time, however. Note also the bells that they used to ring for their servants. Lady Grantham may have sat at the vanity as one of her lady's maids dressed her._

Mortified, Cora turned to her husband. "What is the meaning of this?"

"This better be a practical joke." Robert's face was slowly turning red and Cora feared he would lose his temper.

"Where IS O'Brien?" Cora cried. She walked back into the room and pulled the cord helplessly.

"She's not going to answer" Robert responded. "Come on. We will get to the bottom of this ourselves. Carson will hear about this."

Cora returned to her husband's side and took his arm. He walked down the hallway slowly. He stopped outside Edith's door and knocked. "Edith? Edith!" There was no reply. He turned the doorknob, but it was locked. He looked back at Cora who shrugged helplessly. They continued down the hallway in front of Mary's room. The door was wide open with a rope draped across the front as well.

_First Bedroom_

_ This bedroom would have belonged to the eldest son or daughter of Lord and Lady Grantham. _

"Robert…it's like our house has been turned into some sort of museum!" Cora hissed desperately. "Where are Mary and Matthew?!" Her voice grew shill.

Robert turned and grabbed her by the shoulders, gently. "Don't panic. Why don't we try the servant's hall?"

She nodded quickly. They turned the corner and stopped in front of the back door entrance. He tried the knob. "It's stuck!" he grunted. He pushed against it, hard, and it shot open.

A cloud of dust fell from the top and Robert coughed and then sneezed again waving his hand in the air.

"I'm not so sure we should go down there…" Cora took his hand and eyed the dusty stairwell with suspicion.

Robert ignored her and began to lead her down the dark stairwell, feeling his way. A mouse squeaked somewhere in the stairwell and Cora let out a shriek. "Robert! Please let's turn back around."

"It won't hurt you," Robert said in the darkness.

They moved slowly down the two flights of steps quietly, feeling their way, interrupted only by Robert's periodic sneezing.

"Look!" Robert cried, excited. A bit of light came in through the door to the servant's pantry and they stopped in front of it.

"Oh Robert, my nightgown is filthy" Cora complained. Robert didn't respond but tried to wipe the grime covering the window to peer through. He then tried the doorknob. Locked.

"You've got to be kidding me." He turned back around to look at Cora who was warily eyeing a spider crawling near her feet.

Robert lifted his fist and started banging on the door. "CARSON! MRS HUGHES! BATES! SOMEONE OPEN THE DAMN DOOR THIS INSTANT!"

Nothing.

Robert rapped on the door harder.

"Robert, I don't think they can hear…"

Just then a muffled man's voice came through. "Bloody hell! Would you hold on?!" They heard someone fiddling with the locks. The door was thrown open.

A man of about Robert's height stood there, facing them. He looked shocked. "What the fuck are you doing in there?"

"I beg your pardon!" Robert cried. "How dare you!"

"Who are you supposed to be?" The man asked, ignoring Robert's exclamation and staring at Robert and Cora as if they were a display in a museum. He took a step aside and let Robert and Cora step into the kitchen.

"I should ask the same of you!" Robert said.

"I'm Frank. I am in charge of upkeep down here. I'm assuming you two are here to play dress up?"

"We are certainly not here to play "'dress up!'" Robert retorted immediately. He exchanged a brief, angry glance with Cora. Frank wore light blue pants of some material neither of them recognized and a bright orange undershirt. It had some strange lettering on top of it as well. Robert debated asking what "AC DC" was but decided against it, considering the circumstances.

"Ok, ok. Sorry. I know you re-enactors get touchy…" the man tapered off. He stared at Robert and Cora for a couple more seconds and then put his hands on his hips, before shaking his head and chuckling. "You two look bloody ridiculous! Why did they put you in nightgowns?!"

"You have a lot of explaining to do" Robert replied angrily. He walked over to Frank and jabbed a finger into his chest. "I demand you to tell me where my family is this instant or I shall call the police."

"Calm your tits old man" Frank shrugged Robert's hand away. "You're really getting into this aren't you?" He shook his head and walked towards the exit. "You're expected upstairs in ten. They're gonna have a hell of a time with you two." He left shaking his head and guffawing.

Cora sat down then, heavily, and put her head in her hands. "Oh Robert" she said. She tried not to start crying. "Something is terribly, terribly wrong."

"There has to be an explanation for this!"

"Well I don't see one!" Cora cried. She picked her head up. "Maybe this is one of those terrible dreams. And we just need to wake ourselves up!"

"We can't be dreaming Cora that is simply preposterous!" Robert exclaimed.

"Then I don't know Robert I really don't" Cora threw her hands in the air.

"We have to find Carson. Or Mary. They will know what…."

"Can't you get it through your HEAD!" Cora yelled. "They are NOT here!"

"Cora, dear, I think you should calm down" Robert walked towards her.

"No I will NOT calm down!" Cora slammed her hand on the table. "Our entire household is MISSING Robert. Missing! Our stuff is MISSING! Our bedroom looks like a museum display and I just…." She broke down into tears.

"Cora! Cora" Robert walked over and took her into his arms, letting her cry into his chest. "We can do something. We can figure this out, alright?" She looked up at him and he nodded at her, trying to be as calm as possible. Inwardly, he was as freaked out as she was.

She sniffed and then wiped her eyes. "Can we please find something to wear?" She gestured down to her dirty, dusty nightgown and Robert couldn't help chuckling.

"You look quite ridiculous too," she added, desperately trying to sound angry and failing miserably at it.

"What are you two still doing down here?" Robert and Cora jumped and turned to see a young woman standing in the doorway staring at them strangely.

Robert and Cora stared at the woman, dumbfounded. She too wore the strange blue pants the man did and a navy blue undershirt.

She rolled her eyes and threw a book down on the table. "Frank said you all were weirdos." She walked over to the sink, filled a glass of water, and chugged it. "Be upstairs in five minutes or you're fired." She turned around and left the room.

"Pleasant" Cora said to her retreating figure. She turned to Robert who looked as if he had just seen a ghost.

"Robert, Robert what is it?"

"Did you see what her back said?"

"No!" Cora swiveled around but the woman was already gone.

"Downton Museum, Cora. It said Downton Museum."

"I don't…."

Robert whirled around and grabbed the book the woman accidentally left on the table and started flipping through it. He stopped on a page, put a hand to his head, and started to sway on the spot.

Alarmed, Cora grabbed her husband's arm. "Robert, ROBERT TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON."

Wordlessly, he handed her the open book. It was a calendar. The date read October 26, 2010. Cora looked up at her husband before flipping backwards. 2010. 2010. 2010. Two thousand. And ten.

"Do you…do…you…do you…know what this…" Robert tried and stopped. He sat down heavily in one of the kitchen chairs.

"This has to be a mistake, " Cora squeaked out.

Robert shook his head slowly before glancing back up at his wife. His face still white, he spoke quietly. "Cora. I think WE are the ones that are missing."


	2. Nightclothes

_WOW. I am amazed at the interest that has come out of this fic! I'm so excited about it that I am already writing you a new chapter! Grool._

_I apologize that the chapters are on the longer side, let me know if it's a problem and I will try to shorten the length a bit. I've also changed it to Carson/Hughes pairing (but I think I'm going to eventually leave it permanently Robert/Cora) to make sure that everyone has an easy time finding it! Enjoy chapter 2!_

*Jingle, jangle. Click. Click. Click. Jingle.*

Elsie Hughes walked slowly down the servant's hall, making her morning rounds for the second time. Her keys jingled quietly as they thumped against her thigh. Her shoes made a clacking noise as she looked into the rooms, inspected the hallways. The familiar noises were comforting to her.

Her mind, however, was elsewhere. He made her cry again last night. Not the deep sobs that came with Lady Sybil's death or the exhausting tears where you feel your body will drain of all water completely. Not even the painful tears that make your body ache, your heart-ache. No. The ugly tears. The ones that sting your eyes, the ones you try to wipe away but that just keep coming, seemingly on their own. The angry ones. He was the only man who had ever made her cry, except for her father. And it had only ever happened a handful of times.

She remembered the first time. She had just joined Downton as housekeeper. She brushed by a vase of the Dowager Countess' and it fell. It had shattered then and was impossible to fix. The Dowager Countess had waved her hand and thought nothing of it but Carson let her have it…She'd gone back to her room, then, and sobbed. Deep sobs of disappointment, embarrassment, sadness.

The second time didn't come until many years later. She could not quite remember it exactly. He had said something insensitive she was sure of it, and she was also sure that he didn't really mean it. Those were the exhausting tears. Years of pent up what? Regret? She wasn't quite sure.

And again, when she thought he would be leaving the house to go with Lady Mary and Sir Carlisle. Those had been the painful kind. The kind you keep hidden. Where you pretend that you aren't curled up on your bed, your face buried in your pillow, your hair soaked with the salt and the anguish.

The last two had been only two weeks ago and again last night. Both times the ugly tears. She'd slammed the door to her bedroom last night, the tears already stinging her eyes before she'd gotten to her room. Stinging her eyes as she yanked the pins out of her hair, kicked her shoes off, thrown her dress into the corner of the bedroom, not bothering to pick it up. The kind that make you lie awake at night in frustration. Anger. And God knows what else.

No, Elsie had not slept a wink last night. Because Charles Carson was on her mind. Under her skin. And that's the way it'd always been. Lately it just seemed worse.

Elsie stopped at the entrance of the kitchen and frowned. O'Brien was sitting there quietly, sewing. Elsie glanced up at the clock. 8:30am.

"Ms. O'Brien what on EARTH are you doing in here?" Elsie asked, her voice sounding much more annoyed than she intended.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm sewing her Ladyship's dress," O'Brien retorted, her voice snarky.

Elsie could feel her blood pressure rising. She was not in the mood for this.

"Well go upstairs and tend to Her Ladyship this instant!" Elsie snapped. "Her dress can wait!"

"She hasn't rang for me, Mrs. Hughes," O'Brien returned.

"Well did you check on her?!"

O'Brien stood up slowly and plopped the dress on the table. "Well if it means that much to you. Don't get your panties in a bunch." O'Brien walked past her and up the stairs. Elsie closed her eyes briefly and clenched and unclenched her hands trying to control her anger.

"Is everything alright, Mrs. Hughes?" Elsie opened her eyes and turned to see Anna standing in the doorway, her face one of concern.

She planted a smile on her face. "Everything is quite alright, Anna. Thank you."

Anna, clearly noting the lie, nodded her head and walked away. That's what Mrs. Hughes loved about her. She never asked questions. She waited for you to speak up first.

Bates turned the corner, his face concerned. "Mrs. Hughes. His Lordship didn't ring for me this morning. Is everything alright?"

Elsie frowned and glanced up the stairs. "Her Ladyship didn't ring for Ms. O'Brien either. I just sent her up to check."

Bates nodded and leaned against his stick. He glanced over at the housekeeper and then looked back up at the steps. "You look as if you didn't sleep much last night."

"No, I'm afraid I didn't," Mrs. Hughes responded and she sighed.

"You shouldn't let him get to you, you know. He means well in the end." Bates looked over at her, then. He had a strange look on his face and she could not read it. How could he have known…?

She opened her mouth to respond but she stopped when she heard O'Brien's footsteps. They were quicker than normal. She turned the corner and started down the steps. "She is not in her room," O'Brien said, her face confused.

"What?" Mrs. Hughes asked.

"Neither of them are in their rooms. I checked his Lordship's dressing room as well. Nothing."

"Well perhaps they chose to dress themselves and go on a morning walk," Mrs. Hughes shrugged.

"But the outfit I laid out for her last night is still there!" O'Brien protested.

"Well maybe she wished to wear something else!" Mrs. Hughes replied. "Now get back to work, I'm sure they will be back for luncheon and we will want to be ready for them when they return." O'Brien returned to the kitchen. Bates rolled his eyes at O'Brien's retreating figure and Elsie could not help chuckling a bit.

With Lord and Lady Grantham out of the house, perhaps they could all get a little extra cleaning done.

DA

Cora felt her heart literally plummet into her stomach. She HATED that feeling. It was like a huge weight was dropped somewhere within her trying to pull her down into the floor. Pulled down into the floor until she was just a puddle of nothingness. Lying there. And waiting for the pain to go away.

When Sybil had died, her precious baby, her precious beautiful baby, she'd just kneeled next to the bed, holding Sybil's lifeless hand, for what felt like hours, hoping that she would just melt into the floor and disappear. Maybe if she did, then everything would be a lie. She would see that big beautiful grin. Those shining blue eyes, so very like her own, the flushed cheeks again. But no. They had led her away, only briefly, led her away and she had felt her heart drop into her stomach then. It was final. Her daughter was gone. And she was not coming back.

The feeling was back now and there was nothing Cora could do except stare at her husband, numbly. After a moment or two, he looked up at her and she could tell that he was experiencing something similar. It brought back all her guilty feelings.

Robert. A man she knew all too well and yet…didn't feel like she knew at all anymore. Lately, it seemed she would look at him and she could no longer tell what he was thinking or feeling. They used to be so good at that; she would give him one look and he would just know. Not anymore. She missed that. She KNEW that it was partly her fault. Especially after Sybil…they just weren't connected anymore. She tried. God, she tried.

But he was distant with her. The previous night came back. She had tried so hard to understand, to let him know she STILL loved him. Perhaps now more than ever. But he had turned from her then. Rejected her. Confused, she'd lain there staring at his dark back, wondering. What had happened between them?

Cora found herself speaking, almost without thinking. Like a robot. She had gotten good at that lately. "We have to get out of here."

Robert stared into space. "What difference will it make?"

"We need further proof." The haziness started to fade and her sense returned. "We need further proof of where we are. And we won't find it here."

"We can't leave this house in our nightclothes, Cora" Robert gestured to his dusty blue pajamas. She had bought those for him. For their twentieth wedding anniversary.

"Well then I suggest we go hunting for some clothes," Cora reached her hand out. He looked up at her and then down at her hand. Sighing, he took it and stood up, following her out of the kitchen. They took the servant's pantry again. Cora, now determined, grasped Robert's hand and led him back up the steps, using one hand to hold up her nightgown. They shut the door quietly behind them and started re-tracing their steps when they heard talking beneath them.

They paused. Cora moved closer to the balcony and snuck a glance. She turned back to Robert and waved her hand at him, gesturing him to follow her lead. He leaned his head over the balcony as well and gaped.

About twenty people stood in a tight circle, all eyes on the women in the navy blue undershirt.

"Today is a really big deal, as you all know" her piercing voice carried up the steps. "So we need to make sure that everything is in perfect order, you hear? Now, we need to do a once over of the entire house."

Someone mumbled something and a couple of people chuckled. "Very funny, Sandra. Now remember what I said before, NO cellphones! Turn them off. You don't get good coverage here, anyway." Someone else said something Cora couldn't hear.

"I'm fairly certain that facebook does not need to know your whereabouts for the next few hours. Stop being a smartass," the woman responded. "Now. Get to work." The group started to dissipate and chattering reached their ears as people started off in different directions.

Cora turned around and sat down, her back leaning against the balcony. She turned to Robert who mimicked her actions.

"I'm not even going to begin to try and comprehend…" Robert trailed off and shook his head. "Do we really need further proof?"

"Yes." Cora started to stand up then. "Come on. We NEED to find some clothes." She grabbed his hand and tugged. He got up slowly and followed her down the hall. They passed the landing quickly and ducked into a side room as a group of people passed by.

"We need to wear what they are wearing," Cora whispered.

"No way." Robert stared at her. "You are NOT leaving this house in pants. The thought…"

"Robert." Cora sighed. She peered out the door quickly before drawing him back out. "If we want to blend in we need to dress like these people."

"They're walking around in undergarments!" Robert cried out, throwing his hand out into the air.

"Fine then. YOU find us some dinner attire in this house." Cora stopped then and crossed her arms, staring at him, tapping her foot impatiently.

Robert glared at her. "Alright. I will." He waltzed down the hallway and nearly ran headfirst into a group of the museum caretakers.

Cora ducked quickly behind the corner, listening.

"What are you doing in that outfit, man?" She heard a younger man's voice.

"You look ridiculous," another girl laughed.

"I seem to have forgotten where I placed my clothes," Robert blurted.

They laughed. "Check down the hall." Cora held her breath and waited. They turned the opposite direction and their laughter faded away. She ducked back around to face her husband whose face was bright red.

"Thank you, my dear." She pecked a kiss on his cheek, walked down the hallway, and opened a door.

A man and a woman were changing.

"Oh pardon me…" Cora, shocked, closed the door quickly.

"No, no. Come in!" The woman's voice rang out. Cora didn't move. The door opened and the woman smiled at her. "Re-enactors, right? You have the right room. These are your clothes," she pointed over to the other side of the room where a dress and a suit lay.

Cora tried not to make a face. No one in the right mind would be caught dead in that dress. She forced a smile. "Thank you. My husband and I are quite new at this…" She reached behind her and dragged a red-faced Robert into the room behind her.

The man chuckled. "That's quite alright. I still remember my first time doing these gigs. Don't be so nervous. It's fun!" He laughed. "Meet you both downstairs!" With that, they left.

Cora exchanged a glance with Robert and walked over to where the woman had been standing. She picked up a sheer flowery short-sleeved shirt and peered at it, before looking over at her husband who looked ready to explode.

Cora picked up the jeans as well and Robert shook his head. "No. NO. We are leaving the house in proper attire."

"Robert. You know…."

"I know nothing." His face was set in a hard line. "I refuse to give up my principles to simply blend in. No. We will leave the house in the clothes they've left out for us." He walked over and picked up the suit.

"You are being ridiculous," Cora snapped.

"Am I? Am I, Cora?" He whirled around and his eyes flashed. Anger, perhaps? No. She didn't know.

Cora walked across the room, then, and snatched her dress, glaring at her husband. She walked over the corner and turned from him, starting to take off her nightgown. No longer caring, she threw it over her head and it landed in the corner. She didn't pick it up. She stepped into the dress and pulled it up. She reached behind her for the zipper and realized it was much too low. She closed her eyes and sighed. She turned around and looked at Robert. His back was to her. His shirt was off and he was fiddling with the buttons.

He had no undershirt on and Cora could see his arm muscles, straining, with his effort. She felt her face growing warm and she turned away to face the wall to calm her beating heart. "Robert. I can't zip up my dress," she said quietly.

She heard him walk over towards her. Felt his hands fiddling with the zipper, slowing pulling it up. His skin touched hers and she closed her eyes briefly. He finished zipping up her dress and his hands paused and then moved to her shoulders and he ran them gently down her arms. She leaned her head back slightly, her senses tingling. She could feel his breath on her neck. Suddenly, he pulled away. He moved back over to the corner, picked his shirt up, and put it on silently.

Cora felt as if someone had doused in her ice water. She gulped and tried to suppress the tears that sprang to her eyes. Was she so undesirable to him now? She got ahold of herself, turned around, and saw him staring at her, now fully clothed, his eyes glazed over and his face full of guilt.

Just then, voices came through the hallway. "This is the right room?" Frank's voice came through on other side of the door. "I think so," the woman in the bavy blue shirt responded. Robert and Cora froze and looked at one another with alarm. The doorknob turned.

DA

By luncheon, Elsie was really worried. There was still no sign of Lord and Lady Grantham and Lady Mary, Lady Edith, and Tom had all been down looking for them at various times during the morning. Normally, Mrs. Hughes would not be anxious but her gut told her something was off. She didn't know why…intuition perhaps?

She stood in front of Mr. Carson's door awkwardly. She had to go in there and speak with him. As the housekeeper. But as Elsie Hughes she did not want to see that man. She had been avoiding him all morning, which was surprisingly easy. Although she suspected that he had been avoiding her too.

She took a deep breath, lifted her fist, and knocked gently. "Yes?" His voice boomed through the other side of the door. Elsie opened the door and stuck her head in. "Mr. Carson?"

He looked up, and put his pen and paper down. He stood up. "Mrs. Hughes. I need to…"

She put a hand up, silencing him and entered the pantry. "No one in the house has seen Lord and Lady Grantham this morning. Did his Lordship tell you where he was planning on going this morning?"

Carson frowned. "No. His Lordship had no plans this morning."

"Well they weren't in their rooms this morning when Ms. O'Brien went to check on her Ladyship and they aren't in the house."

"Why is no one telling me this until now?" Carson looked horrified. "As butler I feel that it is my duty…"

"We thought that they merely went on a morning stroll and chose not to alarm the whole house," Mrs. Hughes interrupted, resisting the urge to roll her eyes, again. Why had he still not realized that those retorts only served to annoy her. She was well aware of his DUTIES. "But they are not back and I think…." She trailed off, not wanting to finish her sentence. She knew if she continued he would only get worried.

"What?" He walked closer to her, leaning in, his face full of alarm. He smelt of fresh linen and vaguely of aftershave. It was all she could take not to close her eyes and lean in closer, rest her head on his chest, let his arms wrap…

"Mrs. Hughes!" Carson exclaimed and Elsie snapped back to reality. She looked up into his eyes. They were scared and she rarely saw that.

"I think something is wrong" she finished quietly. She closed her eyes briefly. Why did she keep doing that to herself? Why did she let him mess with her head….

"Then we must go upstairs and speak with Lady Mary," Carson finished quickly. "She will know what to do."

"What will I know what to do?" Carson and Mrs. Hughes jumped and turned to see Mary appear in the doorway, followed closely by Edith, Branson, and Matthew.

"We are concerned about Lord and Lady Grantham's whereabouts," Carson replied, clasping his hands behind his back.

"We came down here to say the same to you," Edith added.

"They said nothing to you of going on business, or trips into town?" Branson asked.

Carson and Mrs. Hughes shook their heads.

"Perhaps we should call Cousin Violet and Aunt Rosamund," Matthew suggested. "And I can call Mama. Maybe they went on a house visit."

"I think that is a good idea," Carson said. Matthew nodded and led his family into the other room.

"Mrs. Hughes," Carson spoke up again. "We need to discuss…"

"I do not wish to discuss last night," Elsie interrupted again.

"But I feel I may owe you an apology," Carson said anyway. "I did not mean to offend you."

"Yes, you never mean to offend me," Elsie spoke, not thinking. He withdrew slightly, his eyes confused and slightly hurt. She regretted her words almost immediately.

"No. I certainly do not." He turned and walked away, sitting back down at his desk and opening his ledger. Elsie awkwardly stood there for a second before sighing audibly. "Look, Mr. Carson, if you…"

"I am quite busy, Mrs. Hughes," Carson stated, not looking at her. "As you well know. Now, if you will please excuse me." He glanced up at her briefly, before looking back down at his ledger. The light had gone from his eyes and it made her feel sick. He had only been trying to apologize and she had snapped at him.

"Alright," she said quietly. What else could she say? That everything between them was okay? That they both weren't hiding from one another? Playing a game that neither of them could ever win?

"I could stop by your room tonight, I forgot to last night…" she trailed off and fiddled with her dress not looking up at him. Afraid to. She'd spoken again, almost without thinking.

"I would like that very much," she looked up at him, then, and the light had returned to his eyes. She couldn't help smiling slightly, a little shyly. What the hell was she doing?

"I'm afraid neither Mama nor Cousin Violet has heard from them," Matthew re-appeared in the doorway. "Edith called Aunt Rosamund in London and she's heard nothing either."

Carson stood back up. "Well they could not have just disappeared!"

"Perhaps we should call the police," Edith piped up.

Just then, Bates appeared in the doorway, his face confused and alarmed. "You better come quickly. You will want to see this."


	3. Wardrobes

_I am so grateful for everyone's continued reviews/comments! They mean a lot, and keep me motivated to continue writing for you . Enjoy chapter 3!_

Robert did not think he had ever seen Cora move so quickly. She was across the room in a split second. She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the wardrobe, shutting the doors just as the bedroom door opened.

"Are you sure they were in here?" Frank asked. The wardrobe was open a crack, and Cora peered through.

"That's what Mark and Joan just said. Look!" Robert heard movement. "Their nightgowns. The other clothes laid out are gone."

"They must have put them on. Are you SURE you are not overreacting?"

"No, Frank, I'm not overreacting. Everyone is accounted for except for those two. Joan said they were re-enactors, but they gave no name, and no one knows who they are."

"Well then we should just spread out and search for them," Frank suggested. "No need to get so upset. I doubt they're criminals."

Cora gasped slightly and leaned back, her head brushing against Robert's chest. Robert noticed Frank's movement towards the wardrobe and held his breath as well.

"Frank, now what?" The woman whined.

"Nothing. I thought I saw something. Look can we get out of here please? This room gives me the creeps."

"You are such a baby," the woman sighed. "Just because some Turkish dude died in here a hundred years ago…." Their voices faded as the woman shut the door behind her.

Robert continued to stand stock still, his heart hammering in his chest. "That was a close one," he breathed out. He moved to get out but Cora stopped him.

"They may come back. Let's wait a few moments," she whispered.

Robert sighed audibly and shifted his weight. "My leg is falling asleep."

"Robert stop being such a child," Cora scolded, in a low whisper.

Robert exhaled loudly and looked up at the ceiling, waiting. Cora shifted her weight and turned to face him, her nose almost touching his chest. "Robert."

"Yes?" He looked down. Her face was inches from his and she had a quizzical look on her face.

"How do we get out of this house?" She asked quietly. Robert was suddenly very aware of their close proximity and felt his whole body growing warm. He closed his eyes briefly. Her perfume still lingered on her skin and wafted up to him. It reminded him of how long they had not been together (since Sybil's death), how desperately he wanted her (every second of every day), and he feared losing control of himself. He had to get out of there.

"I'm not sure," he responded, his voice sounding rather choked despite his attempts to sound normal.

"What's the matter?" She whispered.

"I can't breathe in here. Your perfume…" he started. She turned around quickly and, throwing caution to the wind, slammed the doors open interrupting him. He jumped and then squinted at the light streaming in.

"Better?" She looked hurt and annoyed and Robert, confused, opened his mouth to respond and then decided against it. He had no idea what he had said that upset her but figured he had better not make it any worse.

"Yes, thank you. I think that we should try to exit out the back by the kitchen. We would be able to steal some food."

"Robert!" Cora exclaimed, looking horrified. "We will pay for our food like respectable…"

"I apologize, my dear. I appeared to have left my money in my other nightshirt," Robert retorted.

Cora rolled her eyes and turned around. She stooped over and picked up a backpack. "What is this?"

Robert threw his hands in the air. "I don't know!"

Cora opened the zipper, stuffed in the jeans, and flowered shirt. She picked up Mark's shirt and jeans and threw them in too. She zipped it back up and then stared at it for a moment.

"You're not seriously taking those clothes with you," Robert's face was one of disgust.

"I apologize, I left my money in my other nightgown," Cora mocked. "Now come on let's get out of here before someone sees us."

DA

"Mr. Bates, what on earth is going on?" Carson asked as he followed the limping man up the servant's steps with Mrs. Hughes and the Crawley family in tow.

"I think it would be better if you just observed for yourself, Mr. Carson," Mr. Bates added. Their pace up the steps increased as Bates seemed to throw caution to the wind and move quicker, despite the pain of his leg.

"What if I commanded you to…?"

"Oh, Mr. Carson would you lay off the man" Mrs. Hughes cut in. "He…"

"I am with Carson," Mary huffed and puffed, clearly worried and annoyed. "I wish he would just tell us what the matter is. I can't bear to think the worst."

Carson glanced back and noticed Mrs. Hughes shut her mouth and glare into space. He wished that she did not dislike Lady Mary so. It would mean so much to him if the two of them could get along.

"Here we are." Bates stopped at the entrance to Lord and Lady Grantham's bedroom. They all stepped inside and looked around for a moment before turning back to Bates.

"I don't see anything the matter," Matthew piped up. "Everything appears to be…"

"Mama's vanity," Edith spoke suddenly and pointed to the other side of the room. A large open space, where Cora's vanity usually sat, was now empty.

Mary walked over and stood there for a second before turning to the rest of the household. "We've been robbed."

"No. There's been no robbery." Bates spoke up. "Her Ladyship's jewelry is still here. Only jewelry left on the vanity is missing."

"I don't understand," Branson looked at his family. "Who would steal just a vanity?"

"I don't think anyone's stolen it," Mrs. Hughes cut in.

"An entire vanity doesn't just disappear, Mrs. Hughes. There must be an explanation," Mary cut in.

"Has anyone thought to check in town?" Bates piped up. "Perhaps they took it with them."

Everyone turned to stare at Bates as if he had three heads, except for Matthew.

"That is a plausible explanation" Matthew chimed in. Everyone then turned to stare at him. "We can't rule out any possibilities."

"I can drive into Downton village and ask around," Branson added.

"I shall go with him," Edith chirped.

"Matthew and I can go into Ripon I suppose. They couldn't have gotten far, all of the cars are still in the garage," Mary finished.

"I still don't see how two people and a vanity could vanish with no means of transportation," Mrs. Hughes said, her hands folded in front of her. "The whole thing is very bizarre."

"I'm sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of this," Matthew walked over and placed a reassuring hand on her arm. "Come now. Let's get this all worked out."

Everyone turned to leave except for Mrs. Hughes who continued to stand and face the window. Carson stopped, turned back around and walked into the master bedroom.

"Is everything alright, Mrs. Hughes?" Carson asked, concerned.

"I've worked here for nearly thirty years and I can count on my hand the number of times I've thanked Lord and Lady Grantham for what they've done for me," she spoke with her back to Carson. Carson, well aware to what she was referring opened his mouth and closed it again, unsure of how to continue.

He took another unsteady step towards her. He reached his hand out and rested it on her shoulder. "They will be alright, Mrs. Hughes. I know it."

She turned to face him and he could not help noticing how the sun streaming through the windows made her hair glisten. They stood there for a few moments, Carson's hand still resting on her shoulder, she looking down at the floor.

She looked up at him, then and her face confused him. She was looking at him strangely. It made his stomach do somersaults.

"Mr. Carson," she started. "There is something…"

"Mr. Carson! Mrs. Hughes!" Anna popped up around the corner. "Lady Mary wants you two to apprise the servants of the situation immediately. They told us to search the house and document any other objects that may be missing."

"Of course," Mrs. Hughes said and Carson quickly removed his hand from her shoulder, clasping his hands behind his back.

Anna nodded quickly and turned and ran out as quickly as she'd come. Carson silently followed Mrs. Hughes out and back down the servant's pantry, the moment broken.

DA

"Can't you just stuff it all into the bag?" Robert whispered harshly. Cora had a loaf of bread and a block of cheese in her hands, staring around.

"And get the clothes dirty?" She hissed.

He grabbed the bag, opened the other compartment of the backpack, took the food from her, and shoved it in. Cora turned back around to the kitchen's refrigerator and grabbed a head of lettuce and some carrots before picking up a "Turkey Hill" package. She looked up at Robert, making a face. "THIS is meat?"

Robert's face also registered disgust and he shook his head. Cora picked up 2 bottles of water and sighed. "What is….is this sanitary?"

Robert shrugged again and Cora put them in. He zipped the bag back up and threw it over his shoulder.

"Found them!" Robert and Cora whirled around to see Frank standing at the entrance to the kitchen grinning triumphantly. The woman appeared a moment later, out of breath from running down the steps.

"Alright, you two, start explaining," Frank crossed his arms across his chest.

"We owe you no explanation," Robert replied standing up straighter.

"Well perhaps you would rather owe an explanation to the police?" The woman pulled out a small object and started pushing keys. She put it to her ear. "Yes, can I have the police station, please?"

Robert snuck a glance at the side door. It was unlocked. He took Cora's hand and gripped it. She squeezed back. The woman closed the phone and smiled. "Perhaps the police will be interested in hearing about your theft."

Robert gripped Cora's hand tighter.

"Keep a watch on them, Frank." The woman turned around and left walking back up the steps and towards the main entrance.

Frank crossed his arms smugly. Suddenly, Robert turned and bolted for the side door, dragging Cora along. He turned the doorknob and threw it open.

"HEY!" He heard Frank yell after him. Ignoring the man, he continued to run for the trees, Cora struggling to keep up behind him in her dress.

"Hurry up!" Robert cried.

"Maybe if I wasn't wearing this dress…" Cora cried between breaths. They stopped and leaned against a few trees.

"Great. Now the police are after us," Cora said.

"I would have loved…to explain to them….how we are from the year 1920…" Robert gasped for air. He was getting too old for this.

"Darling it will take us hours to get into town on foot," Cora added. She glanced back at the house warily. "And we better get out of here. There will be people looking for us."

"If we cut through the woods they will never find us. Come on." He took her hand and started traipsing through the undergrowth.

DA

"Mr. Carson, this is all very strange," Anna piped up. She had just exited the library, a list in her hand.

"Are there any items missing?"

"That's the strange thing." She walked over and stood next to him, holding the list out for him to see. "There are a few books missing. A few of the photographs are also gone, and I can't find her Ladyship's tea set that she keeps on display."

Carson frowned and took the list, looking down at it himself.

"His Lordship's books are all accounted for and his pocket watch is still sitting on his desk," Anna threw her hands up. "Who would go through and pick what to steal so intricately?"

Carson handed her the list. "Thank you, Anna. Go check on Daisy and Mrs. Patmore in the kitchen. We will figure this out." Carson gave her what he thought to be a reassuring smile, but he knew Anna could see right through him.

"Mr. Carson." Carson turned around and noticed Mrs. Hughes walking up to him. He found his mind wandering. Her hair still seemed to glow although there was no sunlight coming through the window. He blinked and shook his head.

"I've just come from the parlour. Alfred and Jimmy said that the entire china set is missing but the Dowager Countess' is still there."

Carson put his hand up to his temples and massaged them. "Anna's just told me that there are select items missing the in library as well."

Mrs. Hughes glanced around quickly and whispered, "Mr. Carson, I'm frightened."

Carson looked down at her, and noticed her eyes staring into his own. He hated that look. All through cancer scare, it was there. It made him feel helpless. It made him want to grab her and hold her, tell her everything would be okay, that he was there, he would always be there. And that he would help her. Protect her.

But he could do no such thing. Because he didn't know that everything would be okay. He didn't even understand what was going on. "Mrs. Hughes, I'm sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation. As Mr. Crawley stipulated."

Mrs. Hughes nodded quickly and sighed. She looked up at Carson and smiled briefly. "We must be strong for the rest of the servants."

"That's the spirit," Carson smiled at her in return and rested his hand on her arm. He heard her take a small short breath inwards, almost a gasp. She stared down at his hand, and then looked up at him, her eyes searching his face. Just searching. Carson was afraid to move his arm; for fear she would look away. Her dark blue eyes entranced him. He wanted to lean in closer, to…

"Mr. Carson, Mrs. Hughes," Branson came walking in through the front door, his hat in hand, and Edith running in behind him. "There is no sign of Lord and Lady Grantham in Downton village. No one has seen them."

"None of the shops have had any inquiries on a vanity either," Edith spoke quickly, her cheeks flushed. Carson knew her well enough to know that she was holding back tears and it made him feel even worse.

"It's nearing dinner time and it will be dark soon," Branson spoke up. "Perhaps we should send a search party into the woods. What if they went on a ride and were hurt…"

"All of the horses are in their stalls, Mary and I checked this morning," Edith's voice was growing shrill.

"Lady Mary is still not back from Ripon. Let's wait and see, perhaps they are there" Mrs. Hughes said, calmly. Edith nodded, contritely, and followed Branson into the parlour. She turned to Carson and exchanged a glance.

"You don't think they are in Ripon either, do you?" Carson responded. Mrs. Hughes shook her head, turned, and headed back down towards the kitchen. Carson followed, their pace quickening when they heard raised voices.

"But I'm telling you, Mrs. Patmore it was just here!" Daisy, upset, looked on the verge of tears. Mrs. Patmore stood next to her and Anna on the other side.

"What is going on in here?" Mrs. Hughes asked.

"Tell them, Daisy." Mrs. Patmore stepped back and crossed her arms.

"I was writing down everything that was missing as you said," Daisy spoke quietly. "And then Mrs. Patmore came in and told me that one of the pots is missing." Mrs. Hughes uncrossed her arms and opened her mouth to speak but Daisy interrupted her.

"But it was there, Mrs. Hughes! It was just there five minutes ago," Daisy had started to cry now, and tears streamed down her face as she spoke. "I swear I didn't do nothing with it."

"Daisy, it's alright." Anna walked over and gave the girl a hug. She looked up at Carson and Mrs. Hughes. "Everyone is scared. Has Lady Mary returned yet?"

"Not yet," Carson replied. "Just try to stay calm." He beckoned Mrs. Hughes and retreated up the steps.

"Perhaps this is someone's idea of a practical joke."

"No." Mrs. Hughes shook her head. "Who could be stealing right under the noses of everyone unless it was a member of the staff?"

Carson stopped. "Do you think that it's one of the maids or footmen?" He hissed.

"It can't be!" Mrs. Hughes exclaimed. "It doesn't account for Lord and Lady Grantham's whereabouts!"

"MR. CARSON?!" They heard Lady Mary's urgent call. They tore up the steps and ran into the entryway where Mary and Matthew stood, Matthew wringing his hat in his hands.

"They aren't in Ripon. And no one's heard anything about a vanity." Mary looked ready to cry now too. "Where could they be?!"

"The only place we haven't searched is the woods," Matthew stated. "Perhaps if we put together a search party…"

"At night?!" Mary shrieked. Matthew hugged her and she buried her face in his neck. Carson looked over at Mrs. Hughes. That fearful look was back in her eyes.

Just then they heard an ear-splitting scream from upstairs. They all rushed up the main steps and into Lord and Lady Grantham's bedroom where O'Brien stood, swaying on the spot. Her hands were covering her face.

"O'Brien!" Mrs. Hughes rushed over and grabbed the woman's arms. "What happened! What happened?!"

O'Brien's face was white. She shook her head quickly, opened and closed her mouth, and tried to speak. Just then, Alfred and Thomas appeared in the doorway. Alfred ran over and took hold of his aunt. "Aunt Sarah, what is it?"

O'Brien lifted a finger and pointed to the corner of the room. They all turned and stared before looking back over at O'Brien.

Carson had never seen O'Brien so upset. "I don't see anything, Ms. O'Brien. Do you think…"

"Mama's wardrobe," Mary spoke quietly.

"What?" Thomas asked.

"Mama's wardrobe is gone," Mary replied, closing her eyes and trying to stay calm.

"I…then…disappeared…saw," O'Brien managed to choke out.

"What, what Aunt Sarah? You can tell us," Alfred spoke again.

O'Brien, gaining back some of her color, took a step away from her nephew and pointed to the corner again. "Her Ladyship's wardrobe! It disappeared before my very eyes!"


	4. Ghosts

_The story is only going to get more intense from here on out, so everyone hold on tight!_

Cora knew that they could not have been walking through the woods for more than an hour or two, but it felt like days. Her feet hurt, her body hurt, her everything hurt, and she was STARVING. Robert seemed determined, however, and she did not want to upset him. They trudged along until dusk before Cora finally stopped, resting her head against a tree.

"Robert, please. I desperately need to rest."

"Cora if we stop then we will never…"

Cora lifted her head and stared at her husband. "I have no idea where we are. We could be going in circles. Can't we get our bearings?"

"I've been hunting through here enough, I think," Robert reached his hand up, lifted it to his forehead, and looked around. After seeing the look on Cora's face, however, he conceded defeat. "But I suppose we should rest. I do have a bit of a headache."

He removed the backpack, plopped it on the ground, and sat down on a stump across from Cora before placing his head in his hands, briefly. He sat back up and opened the backpack, handing Cora one of the bottles of water.

Cora took out the bread, cheese, and lettuce and made a makeshift dinner for her and her husband. They ate silently for a few moments before Cora spoke up. "We need to have a plan for when we get into town."

Robert looked up. "I figured we would stop at a hotel."

"Robert," Cora replied, as calmly as she could, "we have no money. Nobody is going to take us in with no money."

Robert shrugged and returned to his eating, unfazed. Cora threw her sandwich on the backpack then and stood up. "HOW can you be so nonchalant about this?!"

Robert stopped mid-chew and gaped up at his wife. This was the third time she had gotten angry that day; it was so unlike her.

"We are running from the police, we have no money, no place to stay, nobody who knows where we are or WHO we are, and we have NO way of getting back to our family."

Robert stood up and walked over, taking her shoulders. "All we have to do is find a place to sleep. Whatever brought us here brought us here in our sleep, right? So when we fall asleep again we will go straight back!"

Cora's eyes narrowed as she stared at her husband but she had no retort. He was probably right. Maybe this was just a terrible dream and they would wake up back in their bed, with their daughters down the hall, like nothing had ever happened.

Cora took a step back from Robert and sat back down, picking her sandwich back up. "How did you come to this conclusion?" She asked a grumpy tone still in her voice. She picked at a brown piece of lettuce and made a face before flicking it.

Robert shrugged. "It came to me while we were walking."

"What if it doesn't work?"

"It will."

"But what if it doesn't?"

"It will."

"But what if it DOESN'T?"

"CORA!" It was Robert's turn to throw his sandwich down. "It will work! There is no other explanation for this! What else are we to do? Wander from town to town like beggars, depending on the help of the people in the town, and hoping that we will eventually wake up in our bed?"

"Well, I don't know Robert. I don't normally go to sleep and wake up ninety years in the future!"

Robert opened and closed his mouth and turned around, running his fingers through his hair angrily.

"You can't stand that this entire situation is totally out of your control," Cora muttered furiously biting angrily into her sandwich.

Robert glared at her. "And I never knew you were one for complaining when things didn't go your way!"

"I'm complaining because your plan is ridiculous!"

"Then you think of something better!" He yelled.

"I am TRYING!" She shrieked.

Suddenly, they heard people moving through the underbrush. Cora and Robert whirled around, saw flashlights in the distance, and heard voices.

"Robert!" Cora gasped quietly, gripping onto her husband's arm. He looked around quickly and grabbed the backpack, shoving the sandwiches in, and threw it over his back.

"Up the tree!"

"Excuse me?!" Cora looked up at her husband, her face one of horror.

"Climb the tree, Cora. We do not have a chance to outrun them. I don't know what else to do."

"My dress!" she exclaimed, gesturing down at it. Robert picked her up, then and lifted her. "Get atop that branch!"

She reached over her head and took hold, lifting her foot over the branch rather clumsily. "I can't!"

He put both of his hands on her butt and pushed upwards, forcing her into a straddling position. "Keep climbing!" He hissed as he lifted himself onto the branch. Adrenaline pumping, she obeyed and continued upwards, not daring to look down. She could feel Robert's quick breathing behind her as he followed.

The voices were much closer now. Cora grabbed onto a last branch and hauled herself up before leaning against it. Robert stopped just beneath her and put a finger to his lips, pressing his back against the trunk.

"Are you sure they went this way?" A man's voice below them said.

"Yes, yes! Their trail went this way," another man's voice came through. He sounded much younger.

"Should we get the dogs?"

"No." The first man chuckled. "Sally is ridiculous. She always thinks that someone is trying to steal from the museum. Once we find them, I'm sure everything will get sorted out."

"But they actually did steal this time."

"So we charge them with a misdemeanor. They will get probation. They're probably just hungry addicts trying to figure out how to get money for a fix."

"How did those weirdos make it all the way to Downton Village?" The second man asked, his voice sounding surprised.

"Who knows. Look, it's almost dark, I'm getting sick of this let's just turn around and head back. We'll put out an APB on them and I'm sure someone will turn them in early in the morning."

"If you say so….cuz if Parks ever finds out…"

"He's not gonna find out dude! Besides, I got a hot date tonight!"

"With who? That chick from the bar? She was…" The two men's voice faded and Cora tilted her head around and saw them retreating the way they came, their uniforms glinting in the light of the flashlight.

"Second time today," Cora muttered, glancing down at her husband. But he was already climbing down.

"Robert!" She said into the dark. "What if they were kidding and knew we were up here?"

Robert chuckled. "No way."

"How do you know?" She asked.

He only chuckled again and she gritted her teeth. He was on her last nerve. "Then can you help me down please?" She asked.

"I can't carry you down, Cora, you will have to on your own," Robert replied.

"Robert!"

"Cora, be reasonable please. Now come on, we need to get moving."

Angrily, Cora leaned forward, shifting her weight onto the branch and dangling her feet down, feeling for the lower branch. She carefully rested her feet and used the tree stump to turn around. Robert had already reached the ground and was staring up at her, an amused expression on his face.

"Some of us did not climb trees as children!" She retorted. It only made his amusement more obvious. She sat down on the branch and repeated the process. However, her foot caught on her dress going down and she fell forward.

Latching onto a spare limb, Cora gripped on for dear life, her feet dangling.

"Darling it's alright I'll catch you," Robert called up.

Cora looked down at her husband. That was a steep drop. "Robert…" Cora whimpered, trying not to cry.

"Darling, I'll catch you. You have to trust me."

"It's too far."

"Cora…"

She felt her hands slipping and she tried desperately to cling onto the branch. She failed. Letting out a shriek, she fell and landed right in Robert's arms.

Her hands wrapped tightly around him, she buried her face in his neck trying to calm her beating heart.

"I will always be here to catch you," he whispered into her ear. They stood there for a few moments before Cora broke away from him and stumbled out of his arms, her face red.

"That was the worst idea ever," she spat. "I could have gotten really hurt and you didn't even try to help."

"Cora there is no reason to be so angry…"

"You…" she stopped and turned from him then, marching off into the woods. Robert sighed, picked up the backpack, slung it over his shoulder, and trudged off after his wife.

DA

The rest of the family and a few of the servants were pouring into the room now, curious at the commotion.

They all stared, dumbfounded, at O'Brien for a few moments before Carson spoke up. "But surely you are mistaken Ms. O'Brien!"

"Certainly not! I know what I saw!" O'Brien retorted, her snappy personality returning. "I leaned over to pick up an earring of her Ladyship's I dropped. I looked up and the wardrobe was there. Then all of a sudden, it wasn't."

"This is getting weird," Matthew murmured in the corner.

"Alright!" Carson put his hands in the air. "Perhaps this is a hallucination. If that were the case we should just retire to bed…"

"I was NOT hallucinating!" O'Brien cried.

"She's right." Everyone turned to Thomas, shocked. He was leaning against the frame of the door, his arms crossed, looking smug. O'Brien looked shocked as well.

"Thomas. Do YOU know what happened here?" Mrs. Hughes asked.

"It was spirits. Ghosts," Thomas replied.

"We are haunted?" Edith questioned.

"Don't listen to that silly tripe, Lady Edith," Carson cut in. "He is surely…"

"It explains the disappearances, missing items, vanishing wardrobes…" O'Brien piped up. "Why we haven't seen it…."

"But surely…" Carson tried.

"And what with all the death in this house…" Thomas replied. Everyone turned from Thomas then, each registering renewed sadness and guilt on his or her faces. There was silence for a few seconds before Mary finally spoke up.

"Thomas do you know someone…"

"I'll call him right now, M'Lady," Thomas turned and exited.

"Darling are you out of your mind?" Matthew turned to his wife.

"We are out of options, Matthew," Mary sighed, putting her head in her hands briefly and then resurfacing. "We have to try everything."

"I still think we should have called the police…" Edith stated.

"I don't see how that would do any good," Branson cut in. "Let's all go downstairs and wait. Perhaps this man of Thomas' will have a solution."

Everyone filed down the steps and Thomas appeared again at the bottom. "He will be here as soon as he is able. He said for everyone to wait in the library and he will go look through the house."

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with a strange man wandering through the house, M'Lady…" Carson interjected, turning towards Mary.

"Quite right. We will have Thomas escort him." Mary smiled and Thomas bowed slightly, although suddenly he looked much more fearful than he had before.

They all traipsed into the library. Mrs. Hughes sat gingerly on the edge of a chair. Matthew collapsed into the couch, Mary mimicking his actions. Edith stood by the mantelpiece and Branson started pacing.

Carson walked over and stood next to Mrs. Hughes at attention, his hands clasped behind his back. After a few minutes, she looked up and gave him a brief smile. Confused at her gesture, he gave a silent nod and stared ahead.

Why look at him that way? This was no smiling matter. Lord and Lady Grantham were missing and Thomas had a commoner preparing to search the house and convince everyone of the prospect of ghosts. Much like normal, her actions engrossed his thoughts.

The room remained entirely silent, save for the quiet ticking of the clock. Reminding them with each passing moment that time was being wasted. Waiting. Waiting for what? It was growing darker outside by the minute.

Branson had long since stopped pacing and sat at Lord Grantham's desk fidgeting with one of the pens. It made a slight squeaking noise and it was irritating Carson.

Suddenly, a knock at the door. Everyone started and turned around, but Thomas was out of the room in a flash. Carson and Mrs. Hughes looked out the doorway and noticed him speaking in hushed tones with a man about his age. The man had some strange equipment in his hand and was moving it around in the air.

Carson made an annoyed guttural sound and turned back to look at the nervous faces of the rest of the family.

"We all sense your disapproval, Mr. Carson," Mrs. Hughes stated, although her face was more amused than annoyed.

Carson glanced down at her. "When Lord Grantham returns, I want there to be evidence of my disapproval."

She made a face. "What if it turns out that he is being held hostage by ghosts?"

"Mrs. Hughes I don't find this situation funny," Carson replied.

Mrs. Hughes shut up then, clasped her hands in her lap, and mimicked his body language, sitting up straight in her chair. Carson, getting annoyed with the woman, sighed audibly and continued to stand tall, waiting.

It felt like hours before the man returned with Thomas in tow, but it had only been 15 minutes. Thomas looked shocked and Carson and Mrs. Hughes exchanged a brief scared look.

"I'm afraid I have some good news and some bad news," the man with all the instruments stated as he entered the room.

"What? What is it?" Mary got up and walked over to the man eagerly.

"I am not getting any sort of spiritual reading in the house," the man replied. "My instruments are not picking up anything and no residual traces that spirits normally leave are anywhere in the house I've searched."

Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"However…." He stopped then, looking nervously between them.

"What?" Matthew asked.

"When I went into the master bedroom, my instruments stopped working altogether. I couldn't get any sorting of reading from any of them."

"What does that mean?" Edith asked. "There ARE ghosts…"

"No, not ghosts, I can't be sure what it means," the man spoke carefully. "Something strange is definitely in that room, but I can't be entirely sure what it is."

"Well surely you must have some idea," Mary suggested.

"I do, but I don't want to say anything before I'm entirely sure," the man stated. "I have a doctor friend who knows more."

"Good God man the suspense is killing us!" Matthew cried, sounding much more like Robert than he had intended.

The man turned to Thomas who nodded at him. He sighed. "My suspicion is that Lord and Lady Grantham's room has transformed itself into a sort of portal."

It was silent. Everyone looked around at one another, trying to figure out what he meant. "Portal?" Carson finally asked, his face as confused as the rest.

"Yes."

"A portal of what?" Branson said.

"Not a 'what.' A where," the man responded. "A time portal. I believe Lord and Lady Grantham may have unintentionally travelled through time."

DA

As they exited the woods and came into the clearing of Downton Village, Robert felt like he could weep with joy. It was well past dark now and he had absolutely no idea what time it was or where they were. He stopped for a moment to catch his breath, but Cora continued to march ahead paying no attention to him.

"Cora!" He called after her. She didn't respond. He quickened his pace to catch up with her. "Cora!" He grabbed her arm and turned her around.

She said nothing and attempted to wrench her arm out his.

"Will you just stop for a moment?!" He cried. "We need to figure out where to go!"

Successfully pulling her arm out of his, she pointed ahead at him. A large sign read "Bed and Breakfast" and was illuminated in the evening glow.

"No," Robert shook his head. "We are NOT staying there."

"Ok then you can sleep in the street," Cora turned around and stalked towards the door. The light caught her hair and he noticed little leaves and twigs that had successfully tangled themselves in her hair. He doubted he looked much better.

Robert marched on after her. "What is the matter with you?! We don't stay at places like this! We don't know who runs it, who stays there…"

"You know this is exactly why I am angry with you!" Cora cried and threw her hands in the air. "You never….you're so arrogant! I'm hungry, I'm tired, I just want to sleep and you…" She started to cry, wiping at her eyes. "I just want to go home!" She wailed and buried her face in her hands.

"Darling…." Robert moved to hug her and she pushed him away. "No." She walked up the steps of the Bed and Breakfast and knocked on the door, crossed her arms, and stared angrily ahead.

Letting out a deep, annoyed sigh, Robert trudged up the steps after her and just reached the landing when a woman opened the door. "Good Lord in Heaven! What happened to you two?" The woman exclaimed.

"We desperately need a place to stay," Cora stated, although it sounded a lot to Robert like begging.

"Of course, of course! Come in!" The woman opened the door wider and let them inside.

"We have customers, Aaron!" The woman yelled into the other room excitedly.

A man came in from the other room and then frowned when he saw Robert and Cora. "Good Lord! What happened to you two?"

"It's a terribly long story," Cora replied.

"I'm sure it is," the woman looked amused.

"Your names, please?" Aaron picked up a pen and prepared to write in a ledger.

"Patrick and Violet," Cora blurted, without thinking.

"Last name?"

"Ummm…" Robert looked over at Cora who bit her lip. Aaron looked up at them and frowned.

"Branson," Robert stated in a rather unconvincing tone.

Aaron exchanged a brief glance with his wife and then wrote in the ledger quickly before closing it.

"Would you two care for some tea?" Aaron asked.

"That would be lovely," Cora smiled.

"I'll help you, Laura," Aaron stated and followed his wife into the other room.

"They know something is up," Cora muttered.

"We should have just given them our real names!" Robert whispered.

"If we did that, then the police would know," she whispered back.

"They don't know our real names!"

"We don't know that!" Cora replied.

"These people are taking us in, showing us kindness and we are LYING…" Robert stopped abruptly when Aaron and Laura re-appeared carrying a tray with tea. Laura gestured to the table and they all sat down.

"The woods can be quite peaceful at this time of night, don't you agree?" Laura asked as she poured the tea.

"Yes," Cora smiled and nodded. Robert shot her a glance.

An awkward silence fell upon them for a few minutes before Aaron clasped his hands together and leaned forward. "Look, we are going to get right to the point. We received a call from the police station about an hour ago to watch for a middle aged man and woman who stole from Downton Museum." He rested his chin on them. "Now we might be willing to pretend that call never happened if you were honest with us."

"We didn't steal anything! Except for these clothes! And some food from the kitchen!" Robert retorted angrily.

"Robert!"

"No! I will not stand for this!" Robert banged his fist on the table. "Cora and I are NOT thieves and we will not…"

"What did you say your names were?!" Laura leaped up from the table in excitement.

"Robert and Cora Crawley," Robert stated proudly.

"You've ruined it!" Cora shrieked. "They're going to turn us in! We are stuck in the year 2010 and then we will have to go the police station…."

"Aaron! Did you hear that?! This is it!" Laura yelled excitedly.

"Oh, honey, please don't start with this again," Aaron groaned. "I told you that letter is silly…"

"It's NOT silly Aaron! Why would they write it if it meant nothing!?" She practically ran from the room. Robert and Cora looked at one another, confused, and sat back down slowly.

She returned to the room with a very old envelope, slightly yellowed from age, and put it down in front of her husband.

"How many Robert and Cora Crawleys do you know?" She crossed her arms triumphantly.

Aaron rolled his eyes. "I can't even be sure that my grandmother WROTE this Laura so can you please…"

"The least we can do is show them." Laura scooted the envelope across the table towards Robert.

Aaron sighed and put his head in his hands.

Robert slowly picked the envelope up and looked down at it. It read simply, _Important._

Robert glanced over at Cora who scooted closer and urged him to open it. Carefully, Robert opened the envelope and took out a small sheet of paper. He unfolded it and held it out so that both he and Cora could read it.

_When Robert and Cora Crawley come seeking shelter, HELP THEM. _

_ ~John and Anna_

Robert gaped and turned to his wife whose jaw was also hanging open. They both turned to the couple in a state of awe.

"I'm sorry…what did you say your names were again?" Cora managed to ask.

"Bates," Laura replied. "Aaron and Laura Bates."


	5. Jeans

_This chapter is dedicated, in part, to krisnreine. Enjoy chapter 5!_

"You have got to be bloody kidding me!" Matthew exclaimed.

"Matthew!"

"I'm sorry Mary but I just can't listen to this anymore!" Matthew shook his head. "Our parents are lost, they could be wounded or hurt, and we are discussing time travel as if we are in some sort of novel!"

"Well what if he's right?" Edith objected.

"I'm sorry but I agree with Matthew on this one," Branson replied. "I may come from a country of legends and myths but the concept of time travel is a little too much for me to handle."

"Well are we just to send him home then?" Mary threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Look, it was very nice of you to come out…" Matthew started.

"I really believe we should hear him out," Thomas interrupted.

"THOMAS! How DARE you interrupt a superior?!" Carson boomed.

The room erupted then. Everyone was shouting at someone, and no one was shouting to anyone. Mrs. Hughes put her hands to her head and shook it quickly.

"SILENCE!"

Everyone stopped then, turned to the housekeeper, and gaped. "I think we are all being incredibly rude," Mrs. Hughes returned to her normal tone of voice and spoke with formality. "This gentleman has come all the way up here to assist us and we are all shouting. I think the least we can do is hear him out."

The man smiled. "You are quite kind. However, I can't begin to allow my services if the family does not…"

"You have my permission to stay," Mary stood up straighter. "Please go call your doctor friend."

The man grinned sheepishly. "I already called him, actually. He should be here any moment."

"You already….?!" Matthew started.

"I think the situation is more serious than you all realize," the man interrupted. He looked worried and checked his watch again. "When did they disappear?"

"This morning," Edith stated. "We discovered their absence around mid-morning."

The man shook his head. "It's been almost twelve hours. This is…." He was interrupted by a knock at the door. He ran out and answered it himself.

Thomas' friend greeted the man at the door quickly, and the two of them turned and ran up the hall steps together. Everyone filed quickly out of the library and followed them up to Lord and Lady Grantham's room. The doctor stood by the bed, staring at it. He had no instruments in his hands.

"John, where did your instruments shut off?"

John directed the doctor over to Cora's side of the bed and pointed. The doctor held his hand out and John placed a pen in it. The doctor leaned over and then stood up straight and put his hand out again. John placed a piece of chalk in his hand and he leaned over again.

Carson turned to Mrs. Hughes who glanced at him and shrugged.

"Would you care to explain what on earth you are doing?" Matthew asked, with a rather fearful tone to his voice.

"John was right to call me," the doctor said. "Lord and Lady Grantham have, indeed, been transported into time."

"Would you care to show us some proof?" Branson asked.

The doctor gestured to them. They all gathered on the other side of the bed. The doctor had drawn a circle in chalk, about the size of a sink. He pulled a pen out of his pocket and placed it in the chalk circle. It sat there for a moment and then vanished.

Everyone gasped. Mrs. Hughes put a hand to her mouth.

"Where did the pen go?" Mary exclaimed.

"Wherever your parents are," The doctor sighed. "I can't begin to speak of this as if I'm an expert on the topic, but I firmly believe that your parents are lost somewhere in time."

"How!?" Edith cried.

"This, as I'm sure, John explained to you is a time portal. We are not sure where they come from or why but….has there been a lot of death in this house?"

Everyone nodded silently.

The doctor sighed. "For whatever reason, they tend to appear where there is a lot of death. This isn't always the case…and I can't begin to explain why."

He glanced around the room quickly before continuing. "They can be of various sizes. This one is rather small; I've seen portals that are as wide as this bedroom."

"The one Mama and Papa went through is rather small," Mary remarked.

The doctor sighed. "That is the issue. This one is really only large enough for one person to enter. But, for whatever reason, both your parents went through it.

"What does that mean?" Mrs. Hughes asked.

"I find it easiest to compare a time portal to the human stomach," he replied. "Our stomach is a certain size from the outset. When we eat, it stretches to hold the food we've eaten, which is a normal part of the human body. If you overeat, your stomach starts stretching too far."

"If you continue to eat more than your stomach can handle, it will attempt to stretch beyond it what it can handle. At which point, your stomach generally ejects the food to make room."

Everyone made a disgusted face. "But how could this possibly apply to Cousin Robert and Cora?" Matthew asked, his voice now one of impatience.

"The time portal is small. It is only large enough for one person to fit through. However, two people entered it. Which means that it's stretched beyond capacity. Have any objects around the house been disappearing?"

"YES," Edith's eyes opened wide.

The doctor nodded solemnly. "It's attempting to stretch itself out, so that it can hold both Lord and Lady Grantham."

"But the portal is in here," Carson jumped in. "The only things that have disappeared are Lady Grantham's. And the objects have been disappearing around the house."

"I believe that she is the subject of the time travel," the doctor answered. "In other words, she was the one that fell into the portal. And for whatever reason, she dragged Lord Grantham along with her."

"But how is that possible?" Mary asked.

"I can't be entirely sure. There have been instances where someone in one part of the world will enter a portal and a spouse or a child on the other side of the world will then vanish as well. In other instances, a person will fall through and their spouse will not go along with them."

"This is entirely too bizarre," Matthew interrupted. "This is so wild a story I don't think I can believe it."

"Well you better begin believing it, because they are in trouble," the doctor said, rather harshly. "This portal will not be able to hold both of them for long, and it will eventually either collapse inwards or eject them."

"But that would bring them home," Branson finished.

The doctor shook his head vigorously. "NO. If it ejects them, they will be sent to a timeless limbo. They will cease to exist."

DA

Robert's face broke into a relieved smile. He turned to his wife. "Do you see what this means?! They know we are here!"

"So…you know who John and Anna are?" Aaron asked, his face dumbfounded.

"Of course!" Robert exclaimed. "Bates is my valet and Anna is our daughter's lady's maid!"

Cora's face too, registered relief and she smiled slightly, the first one that he had seen all day. It made him feel so much better.

Laura and Aaron exchanged another glance. "How could you possibly…"

"We've somehow managed to travel through time," Cora stated, rather sheepishly. "We've no way of getting back."

Aaron stood up then and turned to his wife. "Are you hearing this?!"

Laura merely blinked and then shook her head quickly. "I think we need to do as your grandparents say."

"Time travel?" Aaron frowned and looked Robert and Cora up and down. "And I'm supposed to believe that these two are not drug addicts?"

"You mean…you don't know how to help us?" Cora's face fell.

"No I don't bloody know how to help you! Laura…this is insane! We are listening to a letter that…"

"Aaron! Can you please just….stop for a second?!" Laura cried. She turned back to Robert and Cora. "What happened?"

"We woke up this morning in Downton Museum. It was 1920 when we went to bed. They chased us out of our own house and we were forced to escape through the woods." Robert re-iterated. "How do we get back?"

Aaron rubbed his hands on his face and then turned to Laura and back to Robert and Cora.

"The letter just says to give you a place to stay," Laura picked it back up. "And that's what we will do. Nothing more. What you are saying is so outlandish I can't…." she paused for a moment. "It's not that I don't want to believe you. I do. But there is no proof of what you say."

Robert's eyes flashed and he opened his mouth to speak, but Cora interrupted him.

"We understand," she said quietly, glancing down at the floor. "We deeply appreciate what you are doing for us."

"Aaron's grandparents were good people," Laura spoke again. "Good, hardworking people. They were of a generation that faced hardship and prejudice. They didn't have much, but they cared deeply for their friends and family. If they really wrote this letter, and you two are really their employers, they loved you very much."

Cora tried to suppress her tears, but it did not work. They started rolling down her cheeks and she had to sniffle.

Suddenly feeling incredibly guilty, Robert closed his eyes briefly and then re-opened them. "How long are you willing to house us?"

"A couple of nights," Aaron stepped in, his face softened by his wife's speech about his grandparents.

"I'm sure that we can figure out how to get back home by then, can't we Robert?" Cora turned to her husband.

"I have every confidence," he breathed.

"I'm sure that you two are tired and ready to retire," Laura smiled and gestured upstairs. "The first door on the left is your room. There is a shower, and we will have breakfast prepared in the morning."

"Thank you," Robert spoke sincerely. He reached his hand out and Aaron paused for a moment before shaking it. Laura did the same.

They headed for the steps and stopped briefly, as Robert swiveled back around. "And do you…do you have something for a headache?"

DA

Cora stood in front of the mirror, holding her dirty scratched dress in one hand and the jeans in the other. She'd finished showering and now Robert was in there. As much as she loved baths, she was beginning to think that perhaps she preferred the shower. The hot water pouring over her head made her feel invigorated. It washed away so much of the anger that she had been carrying with her all day.

Now, she had a choice. She knew Robert would be angry if she put the jeans on, but she could not bear to put the awful dress back on either. Not after that shower. She placed the dress on the nightstand and held the jeans up in front of her. She stepped into them and attempted to pull up. They were tighter than she realized. She hopped up and down in a circle, trying to get them up over her hips. She stopped then and buttoned them, pulling up the zipper. She gaped at herself in the mirror.

They hugged her at the hips and it made her legs look thinner. Cora was never one to pay attention to the size of her hips. But in these pants…

She bent over, picked up the flowered shirt, and put it on. She shook her head. The shirt cut low, exposing the tops of her breasts. She couldn't decide whether she felt beautiful or licentious. Sighing, she turned and picked up the comb on the vanity and started combing out the knots in her hair. It was times like these that she wished it was short. She only kept it longer because she knew Robert preferred it. She started humming then as she pulled the comb through her hair.

She didn't hear Robert exit the bathroom. He appeared out of the corner of her eye in the mirror and she jumped, placing a hand on her heart. She turned around then and then almost started laughing.

He was grumpily rummaging through their bag and stuffing the suit in. He had put the jeans and the t-shirt on after all.

"Aren't those clothes much more comfortable?" Cora crossed her arms, amused. He stood up straight, opened his mouth to speak, and then froze. His jaw dropped open.

Cora frowned slightly. "Robert….? What is the matter?"

He continued to stare at her, a strange look on his face.

"Robert…?" She tried again.

He closed his mouth slowly and then shook his head as if he were trying to clear cobwebs from his brain. "I apologize. I guess I just wasn't expecting you to put those pants on."

Cora blushed slightly. "I didn't expect you to either." The jeans slimmed him too, and the shirt exposed his biceps. She was not about to admit how turned on she was all of a sudden.

"Are you…." He walked towards her and then stopped. "Are you still angry with me?" His voice got quiet and he glanced down at the floor.

Cora sighed and put her head in her hands briefly before picking her head back up. "I….no. I don't suppose I'm very angry. I am tired. Perhaps we should just get some sleep."

Robert's face fell slightly and he followed her to the bed. They climbed in and lay there, neither of them moving to turn off the lights.

"Do you really think that we will wake up back in our own bed?" Cora asked. Her hands rested lightly on her stomach and her hair was splayed out across the pillow. Robert turned his head to look at her, desperately trying not to look down at her chest. It was getting more difficult by the moment. "I think there's a good chance."

"But what if we don't?" She turned over onto her stomach and faced him, the way she normally did.

He sighed and turned over on his side so that his face was in the same direction as hers. "Then we come up with a new plan. Maybe we should try to find one of our grandchildren."

"I'm scared to," Cora whispered.

"Why?"

"Because…what if we find out that they've all died? Or that Mary and Edith die when we are still alive? Or that…." She stopped and closed her eyes, trying to steady her breathing.

Robert instinctively reached up and stroked her cheek. Her hand shot up and covered his hand and she opened her eyes. "I don't think I can handle anymore death."

"We will make it through this, I know we will," Robert tried to be reassuring, but he wasn't sure how convincing he was being.

"Will we?" She whispered.

He leaned in and kissed her gently. She stared at him for a moment before suddenly shifting her weight and throwing her arms around his neck. Her body was pressed close, too close to his.

"Cora…"

She interrupted him by pressing her body even closer to his. And he knew. He leaned in and started kissing her neck, the way she liked it.

Her body arched instinctively and she moaned slightly. Then everything was a haze of flying clothes and tangled limbs.

DA

This was too much for Edith to bear. She put her head in her hands and started to cry softly. Glaring at the doctor, Mary walked across the room and enfolded her sister in her arms. "Is there a reason you must be so harsh?"

The doctor sighed. "I'm terribly sorry. I'm not trying to be…"

"Well you're doing a fine job of it!"

The doctor put his hands up in peace. "Listen. I know this is difficult for you all to believe and difficult for me to explain, but this is real. Time portals are a normal part of this world."

"If they're a 'normal' part of this world, then perhaps you'd care to explain why none of us have ever heard of them?" Mrs. Hughes spoke up, her voice one of disapproval. Carson glanced sideways at her. Her face was set in a hard line and she kept glancing uneasily at Lady Edith.

"If we went around telling people of the existence of time portals, what do you think would happen?" He put his hands on his hips. "People would attempt to enter them and change time. Except no one would realize how to get back and we would be stuck with masses of people in limbo."

"Limbo…limbo...you keep mentioning this limbo…" Branson interrupted. "What is it?"

"I've never been there, thank God," the doctor responded. "But from what I know of it, it's a vast timeless place."

"Timeless?"

"Yes, timeless. There is no past, present, or future there is only the current. There is no means of telling time because time doesn't exist there. And if there is no way to tell time, there is no way to measure a human life. When you're there, you are nothing."

"And you're saying that Mama and Papa are there now," Edith picked her face up from Mary's shoulders and wiped at her eyes angrily. "You're saying its hopeless!"

"No! I never said that. In fact, I know with certainty that your parents are not there."

"How could you know that?" Matthew interjected, his face still betraying the anger he was battling.

"Because we still know who they are. If they were in limbo, we would have no memory of them."

"But they…they can't just…! What about Lady Mary and Lady Edith?" Carson interrupted, his voice suddenly shaking as he looked over at the Crawley daughters. He gulped. He could manage without Lord and Lady Grantham. But not them. Not his girls.

The doctor shook his head quickly. "It's not as simple as all that. Lady Mary and Lady Edith are already here. If Lord and Lady Grantham end up in limbo, their daughters can't just disappear."

"How can Mama and Papa just stop existing then? And not us? How are they any different from us!?" Edith cried.

The doctor sat down precariously on the bed. "What many people don't realize is that every person is made up of two parts: the body and the mind. Some people like to call the mind the soul. Regardless, these two parts make us who we are. We cannot be one without the other. The body is of this world. It's physical. It is trapped in time, always moving forwards. Our bodies, by definition, can only age. Can only continue to grow older."

"The mind, on the other hand, has no tangible form. Many believe that the mind, or the soul, will go on to an afterlife after death. The mind is not trapped by the confines of time the way the body is. A person who is forty years old, can easily act and carry themselves as if they were twenty. The mind is not forced into the aging process."

"However, this poses a problem. When a person time travels, their body and their mind are along for the ride. The whole person. Now, this is not an issue for the mind. The mind can travel wherever it desires and be whoever it wants to be. The body, on the other hand, does not have such freedom."

"If I were to travel two years into the future, my mind would easily be able to adapt. My body could not. It would get confused, because the stage of age my body is in belongs to October of 1920. However, my body would eventually catch up; it would just take some time. If, however, I were to travel much further into the past or the future, there would be a terrible problem."

The doctor got up and began pacing. "I was born in the year 1890. Let's say that I am meant to die in the year 1960. I can't be sure of this, but let's say this is the case. If I were to travel back in time to 1889 or forwards to 1961, my mind and body would come with me. My mind would adjust rather easily to the adventure, but my body would struggle with the task."

"While, originally, when I moved forwards two years in time, my body eventually caught up, and everything was fine. But if I travel outside the expanse of my existence, when my body eventually catches up to its time period, it would not be able to sustain me. I do not exist in 1889 and am not meant to exist in 1961. Your body is trapped within its linear time frame. If this happened, I would no longer have a body and my mind would be sent to limbo."

"Surely there is a way to retrieve people from limbo," Mary whispered, her voice registering the fright that began to dawn on her face.

"It's been done, but it is a complicated process and not one I am entirely comfortable with. It is dangerous. Retrieving time travelers is a much simpler procedure."

"So what are we to do?" Edith responded. "How do we get Mama and Papa back? Do you know where they've been sent in time?"

"I'm afraid I don't. There is no way of knowing, and there is only one way of retrieving them."

"What is it?" Almost everyone in the room said at once.

"Someone will have to go in after them."

_That chapter may have been a little confusing (hopefully it wasn't!). If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to send me a PM and I'll be happy to help!_


	6. Gatorade

Robert awoke to a splitting headache. One of those terrible ones where you squint because the light streaming through the window is too bright. Where you think its your sinuses, and then you think it's a tension problem, and then you think it's a stress headache, before realizing with dismay it is probably all three.

Then, he remembered the wish. Were they home? He opened one eye slightly and then the other one. The room from the Bed and Breakfast. Robert closed his eyes again, willing the disappointment to vanish. He knew, deep down, that the likelihood of waking up at home was low, but there'd still been hope. And if you didn't have any hope, what was there?

To make matters worse, his entire body ached. The previous night came flooding back to him and he opened his eyes fully, this time smiling. No wonder his entire body hurt. He didn't think he'd moved like that in years.

He glanced down at Cora who was still asleep, her head next to his and her arm draped across his chest. Her mouth was open slightly.

Trying not to wake her, he attempted to roll over sideways but her grip on him tightened. "Noooo….Robert…" she mumbled, her eyes still closed. "Stay here," she murmured.

"Darling I really must head downstairs and get some breakfast. What will they think if we are up here for too long?"

She opened her eyes slowly and grinned wickedly at him. "Let them think what they want," she gently grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him towards her.

"Cora….." he moaned, trying to pull away but not able to get his legs to cooperate.

"Alrighttt…." She let him go, but continued to stare at him seductively as she snuggled back into the covers.

Robert retrieved his pants, which were thrown haphazardly on the floor, and his shirt, which had somehow ended up on top of the lamp. He shut the door behind him and walked downstairs, where Laura and Aaron were sitting at the table, drinking coffee.

"Good morning," Robert nodded at them.

"Did you sleep well?" Laura asked.

"Yes, thank you. Although, my headache is back," Robert grimaced at the sound of the chair on the floor as Aaron stood up.

"That is very bizarre. You know, perhaps you are dehydrated. You better have some Gatorade," Aaron suggested.

"Aaron, he is a grown man he does not need to drink Gatorade…"

"It has electrolytes in it!" Aaron huffed.

Laura rolled her eyes as her husband got up from the table and walked into the kitchen. "Cherry or grape?" Aaron called.

"Uhhh…." Robert shrugged. Aaron returned with grape and handed it to him. Robert stared at the bottle. The drink was PURPLE.

"Is it supposed to be purple?" He asked uncertainly.

"Of course! Surely you know what Gatorade is?"

Robert shook his head and opened the container. He took a sip and made a face. It was REALLY sweet.

"If you don't like it….." Laura started.

"No, no," Robert put his hand up. He did not want to be rude. "This is fine, thank you." He sat down gingerly across from the couple.

Robert continued to sip his drink painfully, while Laura brought him a plate of scrambled eggs and toast. Robert ate quietly for a few moments before purposefully setting his fork down.

"I think Cora and I need to find our family," he wiped his mouth with the napkin. "You know the village better than anyone, I suppose."

"Well, I wouldn't say that," Aaron looked somewhat flattered. "But I'm sure that we can help. Who are you looking for?"

"Well, that's the problem. We don't know what their names are."

"How can you not know your family's name?" Laura frowned.

"We only know one of our grandchildren. Perhaps you can search our family name?" Robert suggested.

"There are five thousand Crawley's all over this county," Aaron shook his head. "We could never begin to track everyone down for you."

"What about Branson?" Robert asked. "We had one granddaughter by the name of Branson. Sybil Branson."

"Hmm…I'm sure that we could find something for you," Aaron rubbed his chin. "This will be like a game!"

"Good morning," Cora said from the bottom of the stairs. Everyone turned at the sound of her voice. Robert noticed the acute disappointment on her face, maybe even a little sadness. So, she too, had hoped that she would wake up back at Downton. He exchanged a brief, pitying glance with her, which she returned.

Cora pecked him on the cheek as she sat down next to him.

"They're going to help us search for our family, darling," Robert stated

"Oh that's wonderful!" Cora's face brightened slightly at the thought.

"We're to start with Sybil and go from there," Robert explained to his wife. Cora nodded as she started to eat the food placed in front of her. Another surge of pain went through his head and he put his head in his hands, massaging his temples.

"Do you still have a headache, darling?" Cora asked, a look of concern clouding her face.

"It's nothing. I'm sure it will pass," Robert smiled. But he was not so sure. Perhaps their quest for their family would help distract him.

DA

"But…I don't understand!" Mary asked. "Send someone in after them? Isn't that dangerous?"

"Incredibly so," the doctor stated. "But there is no other means of communicating with them. They could be on the other side of England for all we know. Someone has to tell them how to get back."

"HOW do they get back?" Matthew asked.

"There should be a twin portal. It won't be in the same place but somewhere else in the house."

"Bloody hell!" Branson asked. "And how do they find that?"

"With this," the doctor picked up the strange instrument from the floor. "It's John's. It stops working when there is a time portal in the room. That's the best bet they have."

"Now, as for the person who has to retrieve them…" he sat down on the bed heavily and put his head in his hands.

"I'll go," Mary stepped forward.

"NO!" Matthew yelled.

"Unfortunately, there isn't an option here," the doctor stood up again. "The portal is already over capacity…."

"Sounds like a moving train…" Branson muttered.

"If we send just anyone inm the portal will implode or eject Lord and Lady Grantham," the doctor finished. "However, if we send someone who resembles Lord Grantham, in height and weight, then the portal may recognize the third person as Lord Grantham."

"No! No. Absolutely not. You are NOT sending a member of this household on a wild goose chase after….no!" Matthew interrupted.

"If we don't do something they are never coming back!" Edith screamed at her brother-in-law. "We have to do SOMETHING!"

"Now, now I think everyone should calm down," Mrs. Hughes put her hands up. "I think the best chance we have is to do as the doctor says."

Carson glanced at the housekeeper briefly before clearing his throat. "Very well, then. I will go."

Everyone in the room turned to stare at him, their mouths agape.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Mrs. Hughes exclaimed.

"I vaguely resemble Lord Grantham," Carson reiterated. "I will not have Bates attempting such a feat when I am in perfectly good health."

"You are not in perfectly good health!" Mrs. Hughes protested. "You have a weak heart and you…"

"Mrs. Hughes," Carson interrupted, annoyed. "I will not have a younger member of the family risking their life when I am perfectly capable of the task."

"Is this true? Does he resemble Lord Grantham the closest?" The doctor turned to the rest of the family who all started to nod, in turn, slowly.

Mrs. Hughes angrily looked at the family, back at the doctor, and then up at Carson before storming out of the room.

"Should someone go speak with her?" Mary whispered, looking directly at Carson.

Carson closed his eyes briefly and opened them again. He bowed slightly at Lady Mary and left the room. Mrs. Hughes was standing at the end of the hallway, her head in her hands.

"Mrs. Hughes….?" He asked quietly approaching her.

She picked her head up and glared at him. "What?"

"Mrs. Hughes, it would really mean a lot to me if you could support my decision…"

"Support your decision?! Did you hear how dangerous it would be?!"

"You were the one that suggested we take the doctor's advice," Carson clasped his hands behind his back and stood up straighter.

"You know perfectly well that I did not mean you," she retorted.

"I resemble Lord Grantham the closest," Carson reiterated.

"Yes we are all well aware that you think so," she spat.

"Mrs. Hughes! You are not normally one for such disrespect!" Carson exclaimed.

"You are not normally one to exhibit such callous behavior!"

"Callous! Mrs. Hughes, I think I am being entirely reasonable, considering," he returned. "I have no wife and family, and if something were to happen to me, I would be rather easy to replace."

"Is that what you think?" Her voice grew deathly quiet.

"It's the God honest truth."

"How can you be so thick-headed?" She hissed, her eyes blazing. "How can you? You just don't GET it do you?"

"Mrs. Hughes if there is something that I should know…."

"No, no there is absolutely nothing. Excuse me, I should go check on the servants," her voice came out rather shaky and she turned on her heel and left.

Carson stood there for a couple moments, that odd feeling in his stomach back. The one where he knew he'd missed something. Something important. Yet, he was as confused as ever.

"Carson?" Carson turned around to see Mary standing there, her face one of concern. "Is everything alright?"

Carson shrugged his shoulders helplessly as she approached him.

"I really would prefer if someone else went," she stated, looking down at her hands. "I'm not quite sure I could manage without you and Papa." She looked up at him and smiled briefly, before looking back down at her hands.

"Please don't you be against me too," he said the pain now evident in his voice.

"Is Mrs. Hughes still angry with you?"

"Quite."

"Well I don't see why. I think you are doing a rather brave thing," Mary replied. "Although I am a bit surprised that no one else fought you on the subject."

"Perhaps because they knew I was right?" Carson raised his eyebrow at Mary who merely nodded quickly.

"It's rather late but the doctor believes resting will just waste precious time," Mary glanced at the wall clock, which read three am. "I doubt any of us will be getting much sleep tonight anyway."

Carson nodded and walked past Mary back into the bedroom. Mary, making a decision at the last minute, turned in the opposite direction and walked downstairs.

DA

Elsie sat at the kitchen table, clutching desperately to her tea. She knew that if she relinquished her tight hold, then the tears would merely start back up and she would, no…COULD not let herself. Not again.

The two of them had worked together for over twenty years. They were the best of friends, the closest of confidantes, and she had always thought there was a quiet understanding….words unsaid but mutually held….

She felt as if her world was crashing down around her shoulders. And he was being SO selfish. What if something happened? And he never came back? How did he expect her to go on without him? She really didn't think she could.

"Mrs. Hughes?" She looked up to see Mary standing awkwardly in the doorway.

She stood up. "Yes, what can I do for you?"

"Mrs. Hughes, I…."Mary stopped and then gestured to the seat before sitting down across from her housekeeper. "I want to speak with you about Carson."

Elsie's mouth dropped open. Catching herself, she closed it. "Whatever for milady?"

"I'm afraid that Carson and I are far too alike sometimes," she said light-heartedly. Although Elsie knew this was not a light-hearted discussion.

Mary tangled her hands together and then dropped them into her lap. "We both….that is to say….Carson and I….." She paused and looked up nervously at Elsie. Surprised at Mary's struggle with speech, (that was never her weak spot), she waited patiently and continued to stare uneasily at her employer.

"Carson and I are far too restrained for our own good," she finished, finally. "We neither of us are very good with matters of the heart."

Mrs. Hughes frowned slightly, not knowing where Mary was going with this. She felt her heart pick up speed in her chest but she willed her face to remain calm.

"I think perhaps…." Mary stopped again and looked at Mrs. Hughes in the eye. "I think perhaps if you were more direct with him, than it would make things easier on both of you."

That was not what Elsie was expecting to hear. Be more DIRECT with him? How dare she? How could she even begin to think that she knew how Elsie felt? How Mr. Carson felt?

Mrs. Hughes stood up. "Milady I apologize if I am being impertinent, but I do think that you have the wrong idea. Mr. Carson and I are merely colleagues and I think that if you…."

She stopped then when she noticed Mary duck her head slightly. "I apologize, Mrs. Hughes. I merely thought that after…." She stopped again and walked up closer to Mrs. Hughes. "I know that we've never much gotten along. And I just want you to know that I wish only the best for you."

Elsie gripped the edge of the table. This kindness. This sudden kindness. Mary almost never had so much as a kind word for her and suddenly she is speaking of wanting what is best. "If this is an effort to make me change my mind, I'm sorry, but it will not work. If Mr. Carson wants to leave, and shirk his duties here, then that is his decision. But I will not support it." She clasped her hands together behind her back and stood up straighter, which reminded Mary very much of Carson.

Mary pursed her lips together and nodded. She turned to leave the room and then turned back around. "Please come upstairs to see him off." She stalked back up the stairs.

Elsie collapsed slightly, leaning against the kitchen table for support.

Mrs. Patmore entered the kitchen then, watching Mary walk up the stairs, and then stared at her dearest friend, slumped against the kitchen table.

"Mrs. Hughes, whatever is the matter?" She walked up to her, her face concerned.

"Oh Mrs. Patmore…." Elsie said, her voice full of misery. And she could no longer control her tears.

DA

"Well I've tried every single Branson in the phone book," Aaron came back into the dining room and plopped down in a seat. "Only one of them recognized the name Sybil. He said he had a distant aunt by that name but that she went back to live in Ireland before he was born."

Cora sighed and put her head in her hands. "I don't know anyone else's name!"

Robert rubbed his temples. "Should we guess? Perhaps Mary and Matthew have a boy that they named after someone in the family?"

"Well sure that won't take days," Cora responded sarcastically.

"I'm terribly sorry; did you have a better idea?" Robert picked his head up and snapped.

"Robert, darling…." Cora reached over and put her hands on his face. "Your eyes are very red."

He pulled away from her and put his head back in his hands. "Yes, well, my head feels as if it's been placed in a death grip, so perhaps…"

"Does he have the flu?" Laura asked.

Cora gasped and put her hand to her mouth. "No, no it can't be! They said the flu epidemic had subsided!"

Laura frowned slightly at Cora's reaction. "Ms. Crawley….there are always outbreaks of the flu at this time of year. It's really nothing to worry over. He just needs bed rest and plenty of fluids."

"And Gatorade," Aaron added. Laura shot her husband a look and he put his hands up in defeat.

"Come on, darling. We should get you upstairs." Cora stood up and went to her help her husband when a knock came at the door. Everyone froze.

The knock came again, more quickly this time.

"Yes, who is it?" Laura called.

"Police!"

Cora's eyes widened and she looked quickly between them.

"Get upstairs," Aaron hissed. He virtually picked Robert up and put him in a standing position. Cora dragged her husband to the foot of the steps and they started up as quickly as they could.

"Coming!" Laura called. Cora heard the door open.

"Good morning!" Her voice rang out.

"Good morning, ma'am. We are currently looking for two fugitives. They are not armed or dangerous, but we suspect that they may be unstable. Have you seen them?"

"I'm afraid not. We have not had anyone here for quite a number of days."

"I see. Well do you mind if we come in and take a look around?"

"I would mind, I'm afraid," Laura's response was rather too quick, Cora believed. "We are in the middle of cleaning the place and it makes me uncomfortable to have people looking around."

"Ma'am, we are asking to search the entire neighborhood. For safety reasons. We have a couple of people very nervous about this couple."

"Well, I'm terribly sorry," Laura's voice returned.

"Yes, alright. Thank you ma'am. Have a good day."

Laura came to the bottom of the steps, followed by Aaron. "They'll be back."

"Surely, they will just leave you alone!" Cora cried.

"Downton village has never had a crime problem. They will be on top of this, and I'm sure they will be back with a search warrant."

"How much time do we have?" Robert asked.

"Probably another day. And then you'll have to be out of here."

DA

Carson stood awkwardly next to the doctor and stared uneasily at the circle of chalk. He could not believe he was doing this. He still did not know why he had agreed to do this. It felt stupid.

"I still can't believe you are doing this, Carson," Mary spoke aloud his thoughts. She walked over and brushed away some dust on his jacket.

"I'll be back, milady. You can be sure of it." He spoke with such confidence that he fooled himself.

"Yes, but…" she paused and looked up at him. "Why did you change your mind?"

"It was the honorable thing to do, milady" he frowned. Surely she knew that?

"Even though you find this entire situation totally ridiculous?"

"Do you?"

Mary sighed. "I don't know anymore. I feel as if we are all stuck in some terrible dream and we will never wake up. Edith is lying down. She is far too upset."

"Mr. Carson, we really need to send you on your way," the doctor cut in. He placed a small object in his hand. "I need you to place this in your ear please."

"What the devil is this?" Carson asked.

"It's a hearing aid."

"A what?!"

"Place it in your ear, please."

Carson looked at it for another couple of moments before placing it securely in his ear. It felt bizarre.

"There now can you hear me?" The doctor spoke into another strange object. Carson gasped and put a hand to his ear.

"Good, good. This will be my method of communicating with you." The doctor replied. "I can tell you how much time you have left and where to go."

"How do I communicate with you?" Carson replied. The doctor pulled out a small object and clipped it to Carson's uniform. "There. Talk into that."

Carson took a deep breath and looked at Mary. "Well I guess I'm ready."

Mary suddenly threw her arms around Carson. Surprised, but not at all unhappy, he returned the hug, and then took a step back and held her at arm's length.

"Bring them back okay?" Mary's eyes glistened with tears and Carson nodded.

He glanced back over at the doorway. Mrs. Hughes had still not come back upstairs and he felt his chest constrict.

"Good luck, Mr. Carson," Bates held his hand out and Carson shook it.

"See you soon," Anna gave him a reassuring smile.

"Please let them know that we've been to the moon and back trying to find them," Matthew interjected and Branson nodded in return.

"Please. It's time to go." The doctor stated.

Carson looked back over at the doorway and then to Mary who shook her head sadly. Carson nodded quickly and walked over to the doctor who gestured to the circle in chalk.

Carson took a deep breath and stepped into it. He squeezed his eyes shut and when nothing happened, he opened them and stared at the doctor.

Then, suddenly, he felt as if someone had turned on a powerful vacuum underneath his feet and it was starting to pull him down.

Mary was staring at him, her head tiled to the side. He looked down and back up, just in time to see Mrs. Hughes enter the room, trailed by Mrs. Patmore.

She looked terribly upset and it made Carson's heart drop. She looked at him, though, looked right into his eyes, and he saw that strange look again. The one that he couldn't place…the one that plagued his dreams….

Mrs. Hughes blinked and looked down. That look in his eyes. It was as if seeing her made him the happiest man alive. She couldn't stand it…not after this. She looked back up but he was….gone.

"So that's it, then?" Mary asked.

The doctor nodded. "Yes, milady. He is on his way. We should be able to make contact very soon."

Mrs. Patmore patted Mrs. Hughes on the shoulder, gave her a look, and walked out followed closely by Bates.

"I think perhaps…." Anna started and then she stopped and turned to Mrs. Hughes. "Are you quite alright?"

Mrs. Hughes was leaning against the post of the door. She turned to Anna and smiled. "I'm quite alright. Just got a tad dizzy all of a sudden."

"Well, it's quite late, perhaps you should have a lie down," the doctor suggested.

"Yes, very good." She stood up straight and then began to sway on the spot. Anna rushed over and grabbed hold of her. "Mrs. Hughes!"

"I'm terribly sorry but I don't….what I mean to say is…." She stopped and suddenly turned very white. She was upright for only a couple more moments before collapsing.

"Oh my God!" Mary cried, rushing from the other side of the room. She only barely managed to help Anna catch her before lowering her to the ground.

"Mrs Hughes?! Mrs. Hughes!" Anna tapped the woman on the cheek but she didn't respond.

She looked up at Mary helplessly. Both of them turned to the doctor.

"What is going on?"

"What do we do?"

Suddenly, the doctor's eyes widened and then he gasped. He rushed over to the chalk circle and looked back over at the girls. "Oh no…."

"What?" Anna asked and then her question was answered for her too. She turned back to Mrs. Hughes, but the woman was no longer there. She'd vanished.


	7. Headaches

_Sorry for the long delay in chapters, everyone! College work took over my life for awhile there. Here is your promised chapter 7. Please keep reviewing, I love hearing from you!_

"Darling…are you quite sure you would not like me to bring you anything?" Cora stood awkwardly by the bed, looking down at her husband with concern. He lay on his back with a cloth over his head. The shades in the room were drawn and his body was completely tensed up in pain.

"Quite sure," Robert whispered. "Nothing can help this headache."

"I just feel so helpless," Cora replied pitifully.

Robert raised his right arm towards her and she crawled into the bed next to him, laying her head on his chest. "You being here is enough, my dear."

She placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. "You haven't been this ill for years, Robert. Maybe it's all that time traveling," she joked.

He smiled briefly and then winced again. "If I'm ill, Cora, it's nothing like I've ever experienced. I feel like…." He stopped.

"What, darling? Like what?" She sat up and rested on her arm looking at him. He slowly reached up and removed the cloth from his head.

"I feel like an old man. Like a dying old man," he let out a deep throaty cough then and doubled over before laying back down.

"Darling, don't be silly," Cora chuckled. "You're not dying. You've caught some terrible head cold. We'll just wait here for a day or two until you rest up. Who knows, someone may come looking for us in the meantime!" She tried to be optimistic but she wasn't quite sure how convincing she sounded.

Robert tried to nod and only winced before hacking again.

A knock came at the door and Cora got up and walked over, opening it. Laura held a tray with soup and another bottle of Gatorade. "I thought this might help," she smiled a little.

Cora opened the door a bit wider and took the tray from her. "Thank you so much. That is so kind of you."

"How is he doing?" Laura asked, she grimaced when Robert's coughing came through the door.

"He's been worse before," Cora smiled slightly. "He had a headache by yesterday afternoon. Bad timing perhaps," she shrugged. "I'll be sure to bring this to him." Laura nodded and walked back down the steps. Cora backed up into the room and rested the tray on the desk, closing the door behind her.

She turned around to speak to Robert but he was gone.

"Robert?!" Cora asked, shocked.

She looked around the room quickly. "ROBERT!" She shrieked desperately.

"Cora! Stop…stop yelling!"

Cora shook her head quickly and rubbed her eyes. Robert was sitting up in the bed, his hand to his head. "You can't DO that! My head…."

Cora whimpered and ran over to the bed, grabbing onto his hand. "Darling you…you disappeared! You weren't there!"

"Cora…" Robert sighed and lay his head back down on the pillow. "I've been here the entire time. Your eyes are playing tricks on you.

"But I…."

"We haven't had any sleep," Robert whispered. "It's probably just your…" He groaned and put his hands to his head as if attempting to will away the pain.

"PROMISE me you won't leave me, ok? PROMISE me," Cora spoke quietly, her voice shaky.

Robert took the cloth back off his head and sat up slightly. "I am not going anywhere, Cora. I'm not going to leave you. I will never leave you."

A relieved smile came across her face and she lay back down next to him, her warm body resting against his.

DA

Carson stared at the sign outside of the Master Bedroom, a look of disgust clouding his features. Their bedroom was on display like some sort of museum…. He glanced around, slightly in shock. He had already looked around the entire bedroom. No sign that Lord and Lady Grantham had been there.

"Carson? CARSON!" Carson doubled over putting his hand to his ear.

"What, what?" Carson cried. "Stop shouting!"

"Is Mrs. Hughes there with you?" the doctor replied desperately through the earpiece.

"What? No, no! Why would she be?" Carson made a face. "I came here alone!"

"Are you absolutely positive!?" The doctor cried.

"I am one hundred percent…." Carson started. He stopped when he glanced back into the room. Elsie Hughes lay on the bed, seemingly sound asleep.

"Good God!" He walked back into the room.

"Mrs. Hughes!?" His face one of confusion he leaned over the bed and grabbed her shoulder gently shaking it. She didn't move.

"Mrs. Hughes!" He kneeled next to the bed and cupped her face with his hands. He tried gently shaking her head. That did the trick.

She startled and opened her eyes, looking around for a moment before realizing that Carson was leaning a precious few feet above her. "Mr. Carson what are you doing?" She breathed, not wanting to move.

He let go then and sat back. "You appear to have followed me through the time portal."

"WHAT?!" She sat up in bed quickly and looked around. "But that can't…I didn't go through the portal!"

"What do you mean you didn't go through the portal?!" Carson exclaimed.

"Carson, Carson! She's there isn't she!?" The doctor's voice came through on the earpiece.

"Yes! Yes! She's here! What is going on?!" He practically shouted back.

"You appeared to have brought her along with you!" The doctor replied. "SHIT. Why didn't you tell me that you two were involved?!"

Carson glanced over at Mrs. Hughes to see if she had heard. She didn't appear to. "We are certainly not involved!" Carson hissed into the microphone. "I don't know what you are on about…"

"This is bad. This is soooo bad," the doctor whined through the headpiece. "You two need to get out of there and find Lord and Lady Grantham NOW."

"Where do we go?" Carson asked.

"I don't know! But start somewhere! ALL of Lady Grantham's things are missing now. Which means the portal is recognizing four people. You brought her with you so the ruse didn't work…"

"Can we just turn around and go back?" Mrs. Hughes asked desperately walking over so she could speak into Carson's microphone.

"It's too late for that. We don't have the time. The portal could close soon. You better get going."

Carson shook his head. "I don't understand. Why did you follow me?" He looked at her.

"I don't know!" She threw her hands in the air. "Maybe the same way that His Lordship followed her Ladyship!"

"What!?" Carson's face started turning red with indignation. Or maybe embarrassment. Mrs. Hughes let out a big sigh.

"You are an absolutely IMPOSSIBLE man," she growled out. She grabbed his hand and started dragging him out of the room. "We need to get out of here."

"Might I suggest the front door?" Carson gestured down the main steps dramatically. They glanced over the balcony. People were milling about and two armed guards stood there.

Mrs. Hughes gasped. "I have a bad feeling about this…"

"Why not the servant's pantry then, Mrs. Hughes? We do not need to make this more complicated then…"

"Yes, yes alright then." She rolled her eyes, turned, and started down the hallway. She opened the back door and stopped. "That's odd."

"What is the matter now?" Carson whispered loudly.

Mrs. Hughes frowned and then shook her head slightly. "Oh, nothing. I've just a little headache. I'm sure it will pass."

DA

Cora startled awake to a loud sound and looked around. She blinked a few times. She glanced beside her. Robert's arm was draped across his forehead and he was breathing deeply. They must have fallen asleep.

All of a sudden, there was a loud banging on the door. "Are you there?!" Aaron's voice came through the door, sounding rather desperate. Cora leaped out of bed and ran over turning the knob and swinging it open.

Aaron looked scared. "It's the police. They are at the front door."

"What?!" Cora cried. She glanced back at the bed. Robert was still sound asleep.

"You two HAVE to get out of here. NOW." Aaron virtually sprinted over to the window and threw it open. "I'm going to climb around back and put a ladder up against the window. Laura is distracting them."

"But..but…" Cora stood there, looking around, dumbfounded. "You said we had another day!"

"Clearly, we were wrong. Now get MOVING!" He shoved her towards the bed and ran from the room and around the corner.

"Robert. Robert darling." Cora shook his shoulder. He didn't move.

"Robert…." Cora shook him more urgently.

"ROBERT!" She cried desperately. He wouldn't wake up. She ran over to the other side of the bed and, putting all of her weight into it, rolled him over onto the floor.

"OUCH, DAMMIT!" He cried from the ground. She ran back over to the other side of the floor and helped him to his feet.

"What happen…? GOD." He bent over double. "My head…Cora…"

"Robert. We HAVE to get out of here. The police are downstairs."

He looked up at her with red rimmed eyes. "Cora…I can't. I can't. We might as well just let them take us, I…"

"NO. We are getting out of here." She walked over to the window and saw Aaron dragging a ladder towards them. He plunked it against the sill.

"Let's go!" He said urgently and gestured up to them desperately.

Cora grabbed Robert by the arm and directed him over to the ladder. "Start climbing down."

Robert swayed on his feet for a few moments before shaking his head slightly as if trying to clear cobwebs from his head. He turned around and scooted himself to the edge of the sill and lowered himself slightly. He stopped for a few moments and closed his eyes briefly before taking a deep breath. He winced as he lowered himself and started climbing down. Slowly. He was moving so slowly.

Cora ran back over to the door and stuck her head out.

"Ma'am, it's really time that we checked the upstairs now."

"Yes, but you have not seen the entirety of the kitchen…"

"Ma'am, please, step aside."

Cora's eyes widened and she shut the door quietly locking it. She ran back over to the window and turned around lowering herself onto the ladder. She started climbing down as fast as she could. Robert had just reached the bottom and Aaron had to hold him up. Cora practically leaped off the bottom rung.

"Here. Take this." Aaron handed her a small wad of cash.

"No, no. We can't take this off of you, not after…"

"PLEASE!" Aaron shoved it into her hand, closing her fist around it. "Please go find somewhere safe to stay."

"Thank you," Cora smiled. "You've been so kind. How can we ever repay you?"

"By re-paying my grandparents," Aaron smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "Now get out of here!" He grabbed the ladder and started dragging it back towards the shed.

Cora, gripping tightly to her husband's arm, led him off towards the woods.

DA

Carson put a hand up and halted Mrs. Hughes in her tracks. He leaned an ear against the door leading into the kitchen. "There are a lot of people in there," he whispered to her.

"Well what do you expect?" She whispered back.

"Can we sneak by them?" Carson answered.

"Why?" She hissed. "We can probably walk right by without being noticed. I'm sure they are in the middle of…"

She was interrupted when the door was flung open. Both of them jumped. A young man stood there in a bright orange undershirt with the letters "AC DC" on the front.

"What are you doing in there?" He asked harshly.

"We, uhhh….." Carson started.

"We got a little turned around," Mrs. Hughes smiled at him. "We were looking for the kitchen."

"Well you've found it," he stepped aside and gestured. "Your names would be?"

"Elsie. This is my husband, Charles." She spoke quickly and turned from Carson, hoping he wouldn't break character. The man WAS a hopeless liar…

"Uh huh. How many years have you been a re-enactor?"

Mrs. Hughes hesitated. Re-enactor? What on earth…? "Just a few," she smiled and replied.

Frank nodded and walked into the kitchen where another woman sat in a blue undershirt with two uniformed men.

"Check them on the list," Frank gestured behind him with his thumb. The woman looked down at the list. "I don't see a Charles or an Elsie…" She leafed through it and then threw it on the table before folding her hands together. "Alright. Start explaining yourself."

"I don't understand," Carson said. He exchanged a frown with Mrs. Hughes who looked equally confused.

"You must be with them. Are you back to steal more? Steal for them?"

"For who?!" Carson exclaimed. "How DARE you make such accusations?! We are not thieves! We are honest, working class…."

"Sir, we are looking for two thieves," one of the armed men interrupted. "Please cooperate with us. This is a serious matter." His stern glare silenced Carson.

"Well….what are their names? What do they look like? Maybe we can help you," Mrs. Hughes suggested. She exchanged another glance with Carson. They had to find a way out of there. This was wasting precious time they didn't have.

"We are not sure what their names are," Frank replied angrily. "A middle aged couple. The woman was American."

Carson and Mrs. Hughes gasped and turned to each other. "Lord and Lady Grantham!" They exclaimed in almost perfect unity.

"You DO know them!" The woman stood up. "Where are they?"

"We don't know," Mrs. Hughes put her arms up. "We've been searching for them ourselves."

"You two better have a seat there," one of the police officers gestured to the chairs. They obeyed.

"Can't you arrest them?!" The woman shrieked.

"For heaven's sake will you calm down?!" Frank turned to her, his tone still angry. "They haven't done anything!"

"We will take them down to the station for questioning," the other police man spoke up. "There's no need for hysterics, ma'am."

"No, please!" Mrs. Hughes piped up. "We don't have that kind of time! We need desperately to find them! It's of the utmost importance!"

"Yes, and why is that?" Frank put his hands on his hips.

"We just have to," Carson returned.

The four of them rolled their eyes. A crackling voice came through a contraption on one of the officer's uniform.

"Shit." He turned to his friend. "That was Bob and Artie. They said they think the two of them were just at the Bed and Breakfast and escaped for the woods."

"What the hell do they want us to do?!"

"They want us to pursue them," he walked over and grabbed Mrs. Hughes arm and pulled up. "Let's go."

"That is no way to treat a lady!" Carson exclaimed, standing up angrily.

"Mr. Carson, please," Mrs. Hughes shot him a warning look. The other cop grabbed Carson's arm and led him out.

"We aren't being arrested!" Carson growled.

"No, but we could if you'd prefer that. You two were caught at the scene of the crime." The first officer stated. He opened the door and gestured to Carson who glared at him and got in the back of the cop car, Mrs. Hughes following him.

"Now let's go catch us some thieves." The second officer said as he switched on the lights and the sirens.

DA

"Cora. Cora, STOP!" Robert stopped moving his legs and Cora didn't have the strength to keep him moving. She turned to her husband whose face was as white as a sheet.

"Robert. Look!" Cora pointed to the clearing of trees just ahead. "We are ALMOST there. Come on. You can make it."

"No. I can't." He started to try and sit down despite Cora's attempts to keep him upright.

"Robert we will be seen here!" Cora exclaimed. They were on a sidewalk, directly next to the woods. She glanced around quickly, looking for pursuants.

"I told you to just go without me," Robert doubled over again, wheezing.

"Are you insane?! I am not leaving you here!" She shrieked. She let go of Robert's arm and turned around to sneak another glance in the direction they came. Still no sign of the police.

Cora turned back around to grab Robert's arm. She gasped. He was gone. She looked around desperately. "Robert?! ROBERT!"

She ran quickly to the edge of the sidewalk and glanced around the corner. Nothing. "Robert!" She screamed desperately.

"Cora, CORA!" Robert's cry came from the spot on the sidewalk she'd been just a moment before. Cora whirled back around to see her husband sitting with his back against the wall. Cora ran back over and kneeled next to him. "Robert. Robert something is terribly wrong."

"Yes, something IS terribly wrong. I am very ill." He leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes.

"No, no Robert my mind is not playing tricks on me! You keep disappearing!"

"Cora." With great effort, he picked his head back up and opened his eyes. "I've been here the entire time."

Cora grabbed onto her husband's hand. "Robert. Robert, LISTEN to me. We are not 100 feet from the woods. You HAVE to come with me. You HAVE to make it that far. If they catch us we are never going to get back to our family!" Cora started crying.

"Darling…" Robert reached up to stroke her cheek with his hand. "Please don't cry."

"You're scaring me," she whispered. She tried to wipe away the tears on her face but it wasn't working.

"It's alright. It's going to be alright," Robert tried to smile at her. "I need you to stay safe, okay?" His hand left her face as he started wheezing again.

"I will! I will because you are with me," Cora cried. She gripped tighter to his hand.

"I am very, very tired, Cora. I need to go to sleep now." Robert replied.

"No. No no no no, Robert." Cora grabbed his face in her hands. "You can't go to sleep, not now. We have to keep moving."

Robert shook his head slowly and took her hands in his. "Go find our family, okay? Can you do that?"

"Why are you talking like this?!" Cora started to cry harder. "You're coming with me. You're going to help me find them."

"I love you, Cora." Robert reached a hand up and touched her cheek. She stared into his blue eyes and all of a sudden, the light left them. His hand fell away from her cheek and hit the pavement with a dull thump.

"Robert?" Cora asked quietly. "Robert!" She grabbed onto his face and shook him. "ROBERT!" She wailed desperately. "Wake up!" She sobbed. "You have to wake up now, ok? Wake up!"

He didn't move. "Don't do this to me, please don't do this to me!" She beat her fists on his chest. She wiped at her tears and suddenly stopped. "I'll just have to take you with me then." She stood up and reached over, trying to drag him with her towards the woods.

All of a sudden, Cora heard sirens in the distance. She stopped and looked over her shoulder her eyes widening in fear. She turned back around, grabbed him underneath his shoulders, and started to pull him. She made it two feet before stopping. She couldn't do this. She collapsed in a heap on his chest and started weeping. "My darling, my darling…" she sobbed into his shirt. All of a sudden, she felt his weight disappear and her face was on the pavement.

Sitting up quickly, she looked down. Robert was fading. He was literally disappearing before her very eyes.

"Robert?! Robert!" Cora reached down and attempted to grab at him. But it was like he was a ghost. Then, suddenly, he was gone.

Cora sat there. She could feel herself going into shock and attempted to will it away. No. No. She looked around quickly. "DAMN YOU!" She screamed into the air. "YOU SAID YOU WOULDN'T LEAVE ME!" She screamed again. The screaming was keeping the shock away. The shock couldn't come back. Not after Sybil.

What had she hoped? That he would respond? Fresh tears started back up again and she buried her face in her hands. She could hear the sirens. They were only a few blocks away. Fine. Let them take her.

She startled and looked up when she heard a loud motor sound. A two-wheeled vehicle screeched to a halt in front of the sidewalk. A young man took off what appeared to be a helmet.

"Lady. Are you alright?" He asked her, his face one of concern.

"No. No I am not alright," Cora sobbed desperately. "My…my husband. He's gone!"

The man hopped off the bike and ran over, kneeling next to her. "Where? Where is he?"

"I…I don't know." She closed her eyes and looked up to the sky. He wasn't gone. He could NOT be gone.

"Well maybe if you wait here, he will come back?" He asked.

"No, no. He disappeared. He's not coming back," she let out another sob before going to stand up. He reached out to help her and she pushed him away.

The sirens were growing louder and she glanced in their general direction. "Just let them arrest me. Leave me alone."

"Those sirens…?" He stopped, his face registering shock. "Those sirens are to arrest you? No way."

"Apparently I'm a thief now too," she stated pathetically.

"YOU'RE the…" He shook his head. "There is no way. You're harmless!"

"Try telling them that!" She shouted. She backed away and sat against the wall.

The man glanced into the distance, back at Cora, and then at his bike. "Alright. Come on."

"What?!" Cora exclaimed, looking up.

"Get on this bike or the police are going to have your ass. Do you want that?"

"I have to stay here and wait for my husband!" Cora cried, looking up at him. "What if he comes back?"

"Are you serious?!" The sirens couldn't have been more than a block away now.

"I'm not leaving without him!" Cora half sobbed, half screamed out.

"He won't be able to find you in jail!" He shouted in return. He hurried over and extended his hand. "Come ON. YOU DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME!"

His urgency made Cora look up at him through her tears. He was only a kid. He could not have been more than twenty years old. His eyes were blue. A haunting, piercing blue. Instinctively, she trusted him. She reached up and he took her hand.

She climbed on the motorbike behind him and he sped off in the opposite direction of the sirens.


	8. Motorbikes

_I know you guys are anxious for the next chapter, so here we are!_

Carson leaned forward, trying to see through the grate up ahead of him in the cop car. "Carson! Carson!" The doctor came through Carson's headpiece. "Why aren't you answering me?"

"I can't right now," Carson said quietly.

"Why?"

"I'll explain when I can." He turned to Mrs. Hughes who was staring straight ahead her hands clasped together tightly, too tightly in her lap.

Carson instinctively reached over and took her two tiny hands in his. "Mrs. Hughes, I promise that it will be okay."

She looked up at him. "Of course it will, Mr. Carson. You are here with me." She squeezed his hands briefly and then turned back ahead to watch out the grate. But Carson couldn't take his eyes off of her. Did she really say that? Did she really MEAN that?

All of a sudden, Carson felt unbelievably dizzy. His eyes glazed over and he tried to shake his head but his vision had gone totally blurry. It was as if everything was fading out. He heard a shout and turned to see Mrs. Hughes leaning over, her head in her hands.

"Mrs. Hughes are you alright!?" Carson asked. He felt like his voice was coming from miles away. He tried to reach over to assist her but his arm went straight through her as if she was a ghost. His eyes widened in shock.

She was crying now and hitting her hands against her head. "Please make it stop!" She shrieked.

The officer in the passenger seat turned around. "Stop shouting back there! What's the matter?!"

"Her head hurts! Can't you help her?!" Carson yelled. His ears were ringing now but he felt some lucidity returning.

"When we get to the station," the second officer stated calmly as he turned back around. Had he not just felt that?! What the hell WAS IT!?

Carson felt his vision come back into focus and he turned to Mrs. Hughes. She was sitting there with her head in her hands. He reached over, and this time his hand closed around her arm. She looked up, her face tear stained. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I shouted," she said pathetically.

He reached over instinctively and put his arm around her. She buried her face in his chest gratefully. He could feel her heart beating quickly.

"Carson! Carson you HAVE to answer me. PLEASE answer me!" The doctor's voice came through his earpiece again. He was shouting and sounded desperate.

Luckily for Carson, the cop car screeched to a halt in front of a walled house, a clearing of trees only a couple yards ahead of them right as the doctor's voice came through his earpiece.

Both cops got out of the car and locked it behind them. Carson reached down and spoke into his microphone. "What happened?!"

"Are you both okay?!" The doctor returned.

"Yes, yes we are fine! WHAT IS GOING ON?!" Carson thundered.

"The portal just shrunk," the doctor said. "A bunch of Lady Grantham's stuff just re-materialized."

"What does that mean?!" Carson asked desperately.

"I don't know! It could mean anything! The important thing is that you two are all alright. You NEED to go find Lady Grantham."

"We're in a cop car," Mrs. Hughes picked her head up and spoke into the microphone.

"Why?" The doctor's voice rang through.

"It's a long story," Carson spoke back up. "Look. We are doing our best." Carson glanced up and noticed the two cops walking back. "We will let you know when we have something to go on." He spoke quickly.

The two of them got back in the car. "Well looks like we just went on a wild goose chase for nothing."

"Look, man, Bob and Artie wouldn't…"

"They're douchebags of COURSE they would. The fact that we are spending our time running around looking for a bunch of inconsequential…" He stopped and glanced back at Carson and Mrs. Hughes were staring at the two men.

"Let's just go back to the station, Harry," the one behind the wheel turned the engine back on and started driving away.

"How is your head, Mrs. Hughes?" Carson asked quietly, not wanting them to hear their conversation.

"Much better, thank you." She sat up, the warmth of her body leaving him feeling suddenly cold. He felt disappointment wash over him. He turned and looked out the window, afraid his face would betray his emotions.

"Thank you for being such a gentleman. And for defending my honor back in the kitchen." He turned his head back around. She was smiling at him and it reached her eyes, making the lines around her eyelids crinkle. He returned the smile. She took his hand and let her hold it the rest of the way to the station.

DA

The motorbike pulled to a stop in front of a modest house. The young man got off of his bike, tucked his helmet under his arm and started walking towards the house. He stopped and turned back around to stare at Cora.

Cora remained seated, staring ahead.

"Lady? You coming?"

Cora blinked and looked over as if coming out of a trance. "Ummm…where are we?"

"My parent's house. You'll be safe here."

She frowned. "I don't…understand…."

"What did you think I was going to drive you out of town into the sunset?" He had an amused look on his face. "We are like half an hour outside of town. They won't think to look for you here. Come inside and have some tea."

Cora slowly got off the bike and followed him into the house. He shut the door behind her.

"Pat!" He called. "Can you start some tea?!"

"Start it yourself!" Another young man's voice came in from the other room.

"We have a guest," motorbike boy returned. He plopped the helmet down on the steps and walked into the kitchen. He turned back around. "Well come ON."

Cora hesitated and then followed him into the other room.

Pat, a carbon copy of the motorbike boy, walked into the kitchen from the living room. "Who is this?"

"A friend." He was spreading something brown that smelled like peanuts over a piece of bread.

"Are you shitting me?" Pat had the same piercing blue eyes as his twin brother, but he wore glasses. He stared at his brother, his face one of shock and disgust.

"You're being rude! This is…uhhh….." He gestured to Cora.

"Cora," she responded quietly and extended her hand.

"I'm Pat," he smiled briefly, shook her hand, and then turned to his brother. "Bobby, Mum is gonna KILL you. You know the rules."

Bobby coughed on his sandwich. "WHOA. This is not….can we not talk about that in front of her?! Holy SHIT." He smacked his brother, hard, on the arm and collapsed in a chair on the kitchen table.

Pat groaned and kicked at his brother's feet so he could sit back down.

"I apologize for my brother," Bobby turned to her and gave her a kind smile. "He thinks…." He stopped and shook his head. "Never mind. I'm not gonna scar you." He suddenly startled. "Oh I'm being rude again. Here, have a seat." He got up and gestured to the seat he was sitting in and moved down to the other end.

Cora sat down gingerly. "Thank you for helping me," she spoke up.

Bobby smiled again, nodded, and continued to chew on his sandwich. "Did Jessica email you back?" He asked Pat with his mouth full of food.

"Yup. She and Mark are coming into town in a couple of weeks," Pat responded.

"Seriously?" Bobby rolled his eyes.

"You need to lay off of her" Pat returned. "She loves the guy."

Bobby snorted. "Ok, Mr. Romantic. It's just that I take my role as little brother very seriously. And I can smell a douche bag a mile away."

"Because you are one?" Pat made a derp face and Bobby mocked a laugh.

Cora smiled to herself and looked down.

"What's so funny?" Bobby asked, his face still light-hearted.

"I have daughters and always thought that raising them would be more difficult than boys. Maybe not."

Bobby opened his mouth to reply, but the sound of the door unlocking and opening interrupted them. "BOBBY! How many times do I have to tell you not to leave your bike RIGHT in the driveway?!"

"Oh, sorry!" Bobby called out. "I'll move it." He didn't get up.

"Don't you have work today?" Her voice came in from the other room.

"Yeah! But my boss let me off early."

"That never happens," Pat looked up at him in shock.

Bobby shrugged. "Today, it did. Good thing too. Or I wouldn't have been able to save Cora from the police."

Pat's head flew back up. "WHAT?!"

The woman entered the room. "Pat, I need you to drop your father off at work tomorrow on your way to classes. The other car is still in the shop."

"Really, Mum?" Pat groaned. Their mum opened the pantry and started rooting through it. "You KNOW I have that seminar on time travel."

Cora gasped. "Time travel?!"

Pat gave her a strange look and nodded. "Yeahhhhh. I am writing my dissertation on it. I'm a relativist."

"Basically he's a nerd." Bobby finished.

The woman, only now noticing Cora stared at her for a second before turning to Bobby and then back at her. "Who is this?"

"This is Cora," Bobby gestured. "This is my mum, Veronica."

Cora smiled. "Nice to meet you."

Veronica plastered a smile on her face and shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you." She turned to Bobby. "I think you and I need to have a discussion in the other room if you don't mind."

Bobby rolled his eyes, got up, and followed her into the other room.

Cora opened her mouth and then shut it. "I'm sorry….I can leave if it's uncomfortable for me to be here." She grimaced at Pat. "He only offered to bring me here because I didn't have anywhere else to go."

"Let me ask you something." Pat clasped his hands together. "What do you find attractive about guys half your age? Because I was considering…"

"What?" She interrupted her face slowly turning into one of horror.

Pat frowned. "You mean…you two aren't…"

"Oh my God!" Cora shrieked, standing up. "What kind of woman do you think I am?! My husband is MISSING! Your brother agreed to help me! I am trying to find him and you are sitting here…"

Pat stood up too and put his hands up. "No, no. I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you!" His face had turned beet red. Bobby and Veronica came into the room a moment later, their faces worried.

"What is going on?!"

"You shouldn't have brought me here." Cora pushed her chair into the table. "Thank you for helping me but I don't think I'm welcome."

"You can't go back out there on your own! The police will find you!" Bobby exclaimed.

"She's a criminal!?" Veronica shrieked at her son. "You brought someone on the run from the police into this house?! She could be mentally deranged…"

"I'M NOT A CRIMINAL!" Cora yelled. She started to cry again. "Rob….Robert is gone and I need to fi….find him" she sobbed. "I was just…."

"Do you two REALLY have to be such shitheads about everything?!" Bobby yelled. He guided Cora back to her seat. "There's been a misunderstanding and I'm trying to help her!"

Veronica and Pat exchanged embarrassed, confused glances.

"So she's not a criminal," Veronica stated quietly, reaffirming.

"She said she's not and I believe her!" Bobby handed Cora a tissue. "Now can you like, have a little faith in humanity?!"

"I'm sorry," Veronica sat down in the seat next to Cora's at the table. "Truly, I am. We've just….we are not normally such rude people." She reached over and put a hand over Cora's. "We will help you."

Cora shook her head and pursed her lips. "I don't think you can," she let out another small sob and put her head in her hands.

"Honey, when was the last time you slept?" Veronica asked.

"I don't remember," Cora murmured through her hands.

"Here." Veronica stood up and helped Cora out of her seat. "There is a guest bedroom upstairs." Cora let Veronica guide her towards the steps and she trudged up feeling the lack of sleep catching up with her. They walked into a spare room.

"My husband is an attorney and will be back from work in a couple of hours. If there is a problem with the police, I'm sure that he can help you sort it out."

"I'm sorry for causing trouble," Cora said.

"WE were the problem," Veronica returned. "Now PLEASE rest up." She turned around and started to leave.

"What if I can't find him?" Cora said, dejected, as she perched on the edge of the bed.

"Family always finds each other," Veronica stated simply. She flipped the lights off on her way out.

DA

"So if we are not under arrest we can leave right? Do I really have to call my lawyer?" Carson watched from his seat in the Sherriff's office as a middle-aged man argued with the Deputy at the counter.

"Maybe if he just sat down and shut his mouth then they would get out of here quicker," Mrs. Hughes snapped. She was leaning forward, her head in her hands. Carson could tell her headache was getting worse, but there was nothing they could do. The cops gave her something but it did not seem to be working.

"Honey will you shut UP and sit DOWN?!" Another woman, probably his wife, was pleading with him and trying to tug him back to his seat.

"No! This isn't right!" The man exclaimed. "We did nothing wrong…"

"SIT!" She shrieked and yanked him down to the bench next to Carson and Mrs. Hughes. "If we don't want them arresting us then you have GOT to chill out!"

Mrs. Hughes picked her head up and glanced over at Carson. Her eyes were red rimmed now and she appeared as if in a fog. "Mr. Carson, I am very tired."

"Mrs. Hughes, there is no where for you to sleep," he stopped speaking however when she yawned, leaned over, and rested her head on his shoulder,

Carson noticed the middle-aged couple exchange a brief smile and Carson looked down so they wouldn't see his face burning.

He really had no idea what had come over him. Embracing her in a cop car? Allowing her to hold his hand as if they were….walking out together? He had never behaved so inappropriately in his life. She was ill and upset and he was taking advantage of her. Guilt washed over him and he sighed, leaning his head back against the wall.

"What are you two in here for? You look even less harmless than we do," the woman next to Carson asked him.

Carson shook his head. "We are looking for friends of ours and I guess the police are looking for them too."

"We were harboring fugitives," the man said rather proudly.

The woman gasped and nudged him, hard in the arm. "Will you cut it OUT!? Are you a child?"

"Well I happen to think it's rather exciting. We've never had anything like this happen to us before!"

The woman rolled her eyes and it reminded Carson a bit of Mrs. Hughes.

"Mrs. Hughes. Mrs. Hughes?" Carson leaned his head down.

"Hmm….Mr. Carson…what is it? Do you need me to check the servant's hall again?" she murmured softly.

"No, no. You need to sit up." He shrugged his shoulder a bit and she sat up slowly, rubbing at her eyes. She suddenly looked twenty years younger and Carson, before he knew what he was doing, reached over and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"Mr. Carson I desperately want to go home," she replied. "I don't think I can keep going for much longer."

"Yes, you can. Look. We can't be too far away now right? They have to be near by."

"But something's happened!" She exclaimed. "The doctor said that the portal shrunk," she lowered her voice so that the couple next to them could not hear her.

"We have to keep going." Carson stated. "I have to keep going," Carson finished. "Lord and Lady Grantham are counting on me."

"Honestly, Mr. Carson. Do you think that they would be terribly disappointed in you for trying?" She asked, her face questioning.

"Mrs. Hughes, I would be nothing without them."

"OH MY GOD, THEY WERE TELLING THE TRUTH!" The man jumped up from his seat and turned to the woman next to him. "Did you hear that?"

The woman sighed and put her head in her arms. "Dear, you are REALLY starting to sound delusonial…"

"Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes! Of COURSE!" He smacked a hand to his forehead and grinned. "Oh. My. GOD. They really WERE from the past!"

Carson and Mrs. Hughes turned to stare at the man strangely.

"Aaron, PLEASE!" The woman exclaimed.

"You're looking for Robert and Cora aren't you? You're looking for Robert and Cora Crawley!" The man turned to Carson and Mrs. Hughes, his face one of simultaneous shock and wonder.

Carson and Hughes leaped to their feet simultaneously.

"How did you know?!"

"Where are they? Are they alright?!"

"Where did they go?!"

The woman put her hand up trying to silence them, while glancing nervously over at the deputy who was eyeing them with a raised eyebrow.

"Look. We don't know what is going on either. All we know is that they needed a place to stay and we gave them a place to stay," Aaron lowered his voice. "They were with us for less than a day."

"Where did they go?"

"Back to the woods," Aaron replied. "Did they make it?"

"We didn't see them," Carson stated. "They could be long gone by now. We HAVE to find them."

"Robert was terribly ill," Aaron repeated. "He…." He glanced over at Mrs. Hughes. "He had the same symptoms you did."

"The exact same cold?" She asked.

"And the headache," Laura chimed in after her husband. "What does it mean?"

"Shield me," Carson muttered. Mrs. Hughes nodded, but the other two stared at him, confused. She moved to block his view from the deputy.

"Are you there?" Carson whispered into the microphone. "Have you been hearing everything that is going on?"

"Some of it," the doctor's voice returned. Laura and Aaron looked at one another in shock before turning back to stare at Carson.

"We've just met a couple that helped His Lordship and Ladyship and they…." Carson stopped and swore quietly underneath his breath as a wave of static went through his ear.

"What did you say?" The doctor yelled as another wave of static burst through.

"I said Lord and Lady Grantham," Carson hissed.

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. "What are you…? You are there to find Lady Grantham."

"No, I said Lord AND Lady Grantham!" Carson said a little too loudly. He stopped. "Look, there appears to be some sort of 'time travelling illness' that you can catch. I don't appear to have the symptoms and neither did Lady Grantham…"

"I will call some people and get back to you," the doctor replied. "In the meantime, keep searching for her. Don't give up!"

Carson turned to Mrs. Hughes. "Something isn't right."

She gave him a questioning look before turning around. The Deputy was eyeing them suspiciously again. He spoke into another machine Mrs. Hughes didn't recognize before turning back to his work.

"We need to get you two out of here NOW," Laura spoke urgently.

"You are in enough trouble already," Mrs. Hughes spoke up. "Surely you are not suggesting that we…"

"It wouldn't be difficult," Aaron said. "There is a back door in the men's room. I made sure it was unlocked before I came out." Laura gave him an appreciative glance and he smiled at her. "See? I'm not totally useless."

"Won't they see us?" Carson asked.

"Not if we distract them," Aaron spoke up. "Make sure no one sees you when you duck in there. Then you just need to make it back to the forest. That's where they were headed, I'm sure they are there."

"Thank you," Mrs. Hughes stated kindly. "How can we ever re-pay you?"

Aaron rolled his eyes and smiled. "Just take care of John and Anna for us, won't you?" He grinned and clapped a hand on Carson's arm. Carson went to open his mouth but Aaron had already walked away. Carson turned to Mrs. Hughes, his face mirroring her shocked expression.

"I just wanted to ask again about leaving. You all are keeping me and my wife under false pretenses!" Aaron's voice carried through the office.

"We are doing no such thing, sir," the Deputy's voice returned.

"Yes well I would like to make a phone call. My I please borrow your phone?" Aaron attempted to reach over the desk.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to step away now please."

Aaron kept leaning forward, reaching over the desk. "I JUST want to make a phone call…"

"Sir! I don't want to have to ask you again…"

The two officers standing near Carson and Hughes started walking slowly towards Aaron. Carson snuck a wary glance at the bathroom door before turning back to Laura.

"AARON!" Laura shrieked. She ran forward and grabbed onto him. "STOP!"

"NO! I WANT TO MAKE A PHONE CALL!" Aaron yelled. Laura reached out and started pulling at him. He pushed her aside and she dramatically fell backwards as he continued his reach for the phone.

The two officers dove for Aaron. Laura glanced around quickly and then turned to Carson and Mrs. Hughes. "GO, GO!" She mouthed at them urgently.

They didn't need to be told twice. They turned around and bolted for the bathroom, shutting the door behind them and locking it.

Mrs. Hughes doubled over and grabbed her head again. "Oh, God Mr. Carson. My head."

"Mrs. Hughes," Carson had already walked over to the door. "Come on, you have to keep moving."

"But Mr. Carson, I don't think that I can…"

She stopped, however, when Carson threw the door open. A loud shrill alarm went off and they both doubled over with their hands over their ears.

Mrs. Hughes screamed in pain. Carson ran back over and grabbed her hand leading her to the door.

"What do we do?!" She shrieked over the alarm.

He looked at over, back over to the door, and then to the outside. "RUN."


	9. Sunsets

"_Cora! CORA!" _

_She turned around. She heard his voice. Robert's voice. "ROBERT!" She cried. "Where are you? Robert!" She whirled around again, searching, searching…_

_ "Cora!" She could hear him more clearly now, he sounded closer._

_ "Robert!" She called. And then suddenly she saw him out of the corner of her eye._

_ "Darling!" She cried. He turned to her. She ran to him, threw her arms around him…and nearly fell over. It was as if she had just hugged a ghost._

_ She looked up to see his shocked and confused face with his arms extended awkwardly in front of him. He had apparently attempted to do the same thing as her._

_ "What happened? Are you alright!?" She cried. She tried to touch him again but her hand just went through him._

_ "I don't know!" He exclaimed. "I don't know where I am. I'm frightened," his voice dropped and his eyes look pained._

_ "Darling I'm trying to find you," her voice shook. _

_ "You aren't going to find me. You won't ever find me," his voice broke. Cora tried to reach over and touch him again but found she still couldn't._

_ "Yes I will!" Her voice grew shrill. "I will never stop looking for you."_

_ "Cora…"_

Cora opened her eyes and shot up in bed. A weird alarm sound was going off down the street. It was dusk now, she must have slept for a few hours. "Robert!" Cora looked around the room quickly and then started feeling around the bed. "Robert, Robert!"

She put her head in her hands and started to cry. The lights flipped on and Veronica walked in. "Cora? Cora what's wrong?" She sat on the edge of the bed.

Cora shook her head. "Robert. Robert, my husband. I just saw him. I was right there with him! And then…then the…I woke up and he was just…just gone!" She let out a little sob.

"I think you were dreaming," Veronica said.

"No, NO! I wasn't dreaming!" Cora cried.

Veronica leaned back slightly at Cora's outburst and then sighed. She reached over and took her hand. "Come on," she spoke gently. "There's some food for you downstairs, it will make you feel better. I also want you to meet Matt."

Cora let Veronica guide her down the steps and into the kitchen. She sat down quietly at the table.

"Matt!" Veronica called down the steps. "Cora is awake!" She came back over and sat down next to her. A couple moments later Cora heard some footsteps and then a man appeared who looked almost ten years Cora's senior. He had green eyes and blonde graying hair. He smiled and reached out his hand. "I'm Matt. It's nice to meet you."

"I'm Cora," she smiled in return and shook his hand. He sat down across from her at the table and folded his hands together. "Veronica was just telling me that your husband is missing and that the police are looking for you?"

Cora nodded but didn't say anything.

"You have no words to say in your defense?" He asked, looking surprised at her silence. "Normally people have a LOT to say."

"If I told you who I really was or where I came from you wouldn't believe me. There is no use in trying to tell you," she sighed and ran a hand over her face.

"Try me," Matt clasped his hands together.

Veronica got up and started making a plate of food for Cora.

"Well my husband and I were up at Downton….Museum…" she grimaced after saying the word "museum." "We were hungry and needed some food. So we grabbed some food out of the refrigerator and they caught us and accused us of stealing. We ran."

"Well…technically….that is stealing," Matt responded.

Veronica placed a plate of food in front of Cora who smiled briefly in thanks. "We didn't have anything to eat." She started eating quickly, throwing etiquette to the wind.

"No money, no anything? Where do you live?"

Cora paused for a moment trying to come up with an answer. "We…we don't live anywhere."

"What do you mean you don't live anywhere?" Veronica chimed in looking aghast. "You have no home?!"

"We do. It's just…not our home anymore." Cora started eating again.

"Listen….I can't help you if you don't tell me the whole story," Matt stated. "If you are protecting someone…."

"There's no one to protect!" Cora exclaimed her mouth full of food. She blushed, stopped, and swallowed. "My husband and I were running from the police and he just disappeared. I don't know where he's gone or…"

"Dad can I borrow £100?" Pat walked into the room, interrupting Cora.

"Pat you know we don't have that kind of money right now," Veronica said.

"Mum I NEED it for my studies!" Pat cried.

"Pat…." Matt sighed. "We think your intentions are honorable we really do. But the expenses we've accrued…"

"Sending someone through time is not cheap!"

Cora was, at that unfortunate time, drinking water. She sputtered, water went up her nose, and she started coughing.

"You alright?" Veronica reached over and patted her on the back. Cora nodded and took another drink quickly before swallowing. "Time travel. You are sending someone through time?" She croaked out.

"We are trying to," Pat shrugged.

"What would you say if I offered myself up as a test subject?" Cora asked.

The three of them turned to her, their mouths hanging open.

"You. The test subject?" Pat asked. "Well, I'm not sure…I mean we don't know if it will work or…"

"It will work." Cora spoke with certainty. She picked her fork up and began eating again, ignoring the stares of the family.

"And you are familiar with time travel?" Pat responded, looking at her as if she had three heads.

Cora opened her mouth and then closed it again. She shoveled a huge forkful of food into her mouth and shrugged.

"Cora, please. If you continue to be this cryptic I cannot help you. How do I know you are even telling the truth?" Matt asked, his voice taking on a bit more of an annoyed voice.

Cora pointed to her mouth, still full of food.

"Fine, then. Until you are ready to take myself and this situation seriously, I'm going to be working in the basement." Matt stood up from the table.

Cora looked up, shocked at his change in demeanor.

"I want you out by morning." He slammed the basement door behind him.

DA

Carson couldn't remember the last time he had run this fast. In fact, he couldn't quite remember the last time that he had run at all. And he was certainly much too old for this.

He glanced over to Mrs. Hughes who was struggling mightily to keep up, her dress and short legs heavily impeding her. A burst of static erupted in Carson's ear and he halted, putting a hand to his ear.

"What? What is it?" Carson said into the microphone, his breath coming in short gasps.

Mrs. Hughes skidded to a halt beside him and put a hand to her chest, trying to regain control of her breath. Her eyes were redder than before and she looked ready to topple over in a moment.

"What the hell is going on?!" The Doctor's voice came through. "Are you running?!"

"No Mrs. Hughes and I thought it the perfect time to join the Olympics," Carson's snarky reply brought a smile to her face, which made him suddenly feel much better.

"We don't have time for bullshit, Mr. Carson, Mrs. Hughes is in terrible trouble," The Doctor's voice pierced through the earpiece and straight to Carson's heart.

His face must have registered something because she stepped forward and put her hand on his arm. "Mr. Carson what is it?"

Carson opened his mouth to speak when, all of a sudden, Mrs. Hughes' eyes rolled to the back of her head and she collapsed.

"MRS. HUGHES!" He yelled.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" The Doctor shouted.

"She collapsed!" Carson shouted, leaning over her. "Come on, come on wake up!" He patted at her cheeks but she didn't move. "Oh God, oh God."

Carson's ears perked up at the sound of sirens in the distance. Were they for him? He couldn't risk it. Throwing precaution and propriety to the wind, he bent over, picked her up, and started at a brisk pace towards the woods again.

"Can you explain to me why she is in trouble?" Carson gasped out. Mrs. Hughes was NOT a heavy woman but he was not a young man anymore and the exertion was wearing on him much faster than he thought it would.

"I think Mrs. Hughes has what a friend of mine called 'Limbo Sickness.'"

"Limbo sickness?" Carson asked.

"Yes. It means her body is catching up with her mind."

"What….is that…how bad is that?"

"Remember what I said before? Limbo is a timeless place because you are trapped there. Your body cannot exist outside of its linear time frame."

"So she is going to end up in Limbo?!" Carson gasped out. The sirens were getting closer but so was the tree line. He HAD to get there first.

There was a pause. Carson was about to ask the Doctor again when his voice came back. "Yes I believe so." His voice was muffled and quiet.

Carson could feel himself starting to panic. He hated the feeling. Even more so because Mrs. Hughes was the only one who could ever get him to calm down.

Carson put all of his effort into running. As he entered the woods and paused behind a tree, he heard two cars blaring past him.

"Carson, Carson are you still there?!"

Carson set Mrs. Hughes on the ground gingerly. "Yes, YES! I'm here! What do I do?!"

"You can't do anything!" the Doctor cried. "It's too late!"

"What do you mean it's too late?!" Carson shouted again. He looked down at Mrs. Hughes, her face as white as a sheet, and found himself thinking he might faint. He sat down, heavily on the ground. "Tell me what I can do!"

"Unless you can find Lady Grantham and get back to the portal in the next few hours then no, there is nothing that you can do!"

"How many times do I have to tell you!" Carson sighed, putting his head in his hands. "I am NOT leaving Lord Grantham behind!"

There was another pause on the other end of the line. "Wha…who?"

"Lord. Grantham," Carson stated through gritted teeth. "Can you stop playing games?!"

"Carson there IS no Lord Grantham!"

"What do you MEAN there is no Lord Grantham?!" He exclaimed. "He followed his wife into the portal! I was selected to follow because I resembled him! How can you not….?"

"WAIT!" The Doctor's voice sounded rather excited and it made Carson nervous.

"There's….that must be it!" He cried. "He's in Limbo! THAT is why Lady Grantham's stuff re-materalized!" His voice positively shook with excitement. "But I have no memory of him! Of COURSE!"

Mrs. Hughes started to stir and Carson scooted over to her again, ignoring the Doctor's exclamations on the other side of the earpiece. "Mrs. Hughes! Mrs. Hughes are you alright?"

She opened her eyes briefly and then squinted before shutting them again. "My headache is quite painful," she managed. However, her eyes suddenly shot open again and she looked around quickly. "Where…where are we?!"

"In the forest. I carried you here."

"You…you carried me?" She looked up at him, shocked. "All the way from over…"

Carson shook his head. "That's not the point. The point is that…." He stopped. She had disappeared into thin air.

Carson shook his head quickly and rubbed at his eyes. She was there again, staring at him strangely.

"You just disappeared…" he whispered.

"Mr. Carson, what did the Doctor say?" Her voice was firm. She let out a long wracking cough which made her body literally double over from the strength of it.

"Please don't make me say," his face had that pained expression again. The one she hated. The one he wore through the cancer scare.

"Tell. Me." She grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

"Limbo…" he trailed off looking away from her.

She frowned. "Limbo…as in…." She put a hand to her mouth. "Will I be trapped there forever?" He looked over to see her eyes glistening with tears. "Will it hurt?" Her voice came out shaky.

He shook his head. "I don't know," he held more tightly to her hands.

"Well I am ready," she spoke again.

"You shouldn't be!" He looked affronted and she could not help but smile a little bit again.

"Mr. Carson, I've already faced this once. I can face it again."

His face took on that pained look again. She reached up and put a hand on his cheek. "It will be alright."

He looked away. She took her other hand and placed it on his other cheek. "Look at me," she spoke gently.

His eyes found hers. They were clear and light blue. Like the ocean. He liked that.

"It will be. Alright." She smiled at him again and then her hands fell away, her body wracked with coughs once more.

DA

Cora sat on the edge of the sidewalk, staring up at the sky. It was a light pink color, infused with oranges and reds, and blues. It was one of the most beautiful colors she'd ever seen.

She didn't hear Matt approaching until he sat next to her on the sidewalk, looking up silently at the sky.

"I thought you were quite upset with me?" Cora stated, as she continued to stare at the sky above him.

"A bad temper runs in the family. I'm afraid I allow mine to get the better of me sometimes."

Cora turned to him, then. "You know…you remind me of my husband in a lot of ways."

He turned to her and smiled. "In a good way, I hope?"

"Of course." She nudged him playfully before looking back up at the sky.

There was a brief silence. "I'm sorry for being short with you," Cora stated. She leaned over, picked up a pebble, and threw it into the street. "I'm not trying to be difficult."

"I know," Matt responded quietly.

There was another long pause.

"I don't want you to leave tomorrow if you don't want to" he stated.

"Really?" Cora looked over, her face betraying her relief.

"This may sound bizarre…." Matt started and then shook his head. "Nevermind."

"What? What is it?" Cora inquired. "Now I am curious."

"You just remind me of someone from my distant past…" Matt shook his head again and smiled. "Your presence here is…comforting."

"I wish I could feel the same way." She drew circles on the sidewalk. "I just miss him SO much." She couldn't look over at Matt for fear she might start crying again.

"Did your husband pass away?" He asked her with care.

"No," Cora looked up. "He disappeared."

"He left you?"

"No," Cora shook her head, drawing circles on the pavement again. "He was there and then all of a sudden…he wasn't." She looked over at Matt. "Something's happened to him. I think he's in trouble. I just….that's what my instinct tells me."

Matt nodded. "Perhaps Bobby can go out on his motorbike and look for him."

Cora's face lit up. "I…really?!"

"Of course. If it would make you feel better."

Cora smiled. "You and Robert would get along well, I think."

"Robert…your husband? Robert and Cora." Matt gave Cora a strange look and then shook his head before chuckling.

"What?"

"If I'd ever had a daughter I would have named her Cora," Matt looked up at the sky, his face starting to look dreamy.

"Really?" Cora smiled. "I thought you had a daughter?"

"Oh, Jessica? That is Veronica's daughter," he smiled. "I had children much later than most do."

"Your boys are wonderful, though" Cora responded. "I did…I have girls," she corrected herself quickly.

"I'm sure they are wonderful too." Matt smiled. "And thank you. That means a lot." He stood up slowly. "I better get back inside and go to work. I've got a huge merger next week."

"Thank you again for showing me such kindness. I don't know where I'd be without you and your family," Cora said, with as much gratefulness in her voice as she could muster.

"Maybe one day you can return the favor," Matt spoke seriously but there was a twinkle in his eye as he walked back inside.

DA

Carson had no idea how long they had been sitting there. It felt like hours, but it could have been minutes. He was literally watching Mrs. Hughes deteriorate (die) before his very eyes. He had never felt so helpless in his entire life.

"Do you...tell me what you want me to do," he spoke in as calm a voice as possible, though he was sure that she could hear the panic behind it.

"Nothing, nothing," she gasped out. "Just stay here with me."

"But we have to DO something!" He exclaimed. "If we can get back to Downton…find Lord and Lady Grantham…"

"Mr. Carson, listen to me." She took his hands again. "There wasn't enough time, there isn't enough time now. It's up to you. YOU have to be the one to find them."

"I can't just leave you here!" His voice came out strangled and that sparkle in his eyes had disappeared again. This was probably hurting him more than it was hurting her. And that's when she realized. She KNEW. Deep down in her heart she KNEW.

Elsie started to cry, she couldn't help it.

"No, please don't cry!" Carson exclaimed.

"No, no," she paused and coughed again. "I just…" she sniffled. "I feel so…relieved."

"Relieved?" He looked confused.

"You silly, silly man!" She sobbed out. She felt as if she was falling. It was a strange phenomenon, almost as if she was moving further and further away from Carson.

She reached for him. "Mr. Carson! Mr. Carson there is something I have to tell you!" She spoke as loudly as possible but it came out as a whisper.

"What, what is it?" Carson scooted closer.

"I just want you to know that I…."

Her eyes shut and she exhaled. Her eyes didn't open again.

"No. No! What were you going to tell me?! ELSIE!" He grabbed her shoulders and shook them but she didn't wake up. And then Mr. Carson, prim proper and strict Mr. Carson, pulled her body to him and began to cry.

DA

Elsie Hughes opened her eyes. She could see the sky above her; it was a perfect pink color, mixed with oranges and reds and yellows. She sat up slowly. She was in Downton Village but the entire place was deserted.

She got to her feet. He headache was gone and she felt herself again. Breathing a sigh of relief, she suddenly remembered. She turned around, but Mr. Carson wasn't anywhere nearby.

"Mr. Carson?" She asked into the air. There was no response.

Suddenly, a person materialized a few yards ahead of her. It appeared to be a young woman and she was looking around desperately.

"Hello? HELLO!" Mrs. Hughes shouted. Her voice echoed loudly and she winced. It sounded as if she was in some sort of cave.

The woman whirled around as if looking for a voice and then disappeared once again. Mrs. Hughes suddenly felt very frightened.

"Mr. Carson!" She shouted again. "Mr. Carson where are you?!" Her voice came out somewhat strangled. Nothing.

She started walking towards the main house, calling out every so often. Her voice continued to echo. Another person materialized in front of her again. This time, a man about her age. He looked directly at her.

"Hello, where are we? Who are you?" Mrs. Hughes approached him and tried to speak to him. He looked wistfully at her before disappearing once more.

She stood there for a moment trying to get her bearings when she heard someone calling. She whirled around in a circle. There it was again. She couldn't make out what they were saying.

"Hello?! Hello is someone there?!" She shouted. "Please!"

The voice returned the call. It sounded like hello, but she couldn't be sure. She started walking towards the house, towards the voice. After moving for a few moments she called out again.

"Are you still there?!" Nothing. "Hello?!" Nothing. Feeling a sense of panic beginning to wash over her, she started running towards the house.

Then suddenly, as she approached the gate…

"Hello! Please, I can't find you! Move towards my voice!" It was definitely a man's voice and much, much closer now. And it sounded familiar….

"I'm coming, I'm coming! Don't MOVE!" Mrs. Hughes spoke as firmly as she could, her Scottish accent growing thicker with her exerted effort to stay calm.

Another small boy materialized in front of her. "Are you the one calling me?"

The boy looked up at her, reached for her, and then disappeared again just as their hands were about to touch. Elsie thought she was going to cry.

"Please, PLEASE! Where are you?" She cried into the air before dropping her head into her hands.

"Mrs. Hughes!" She jumped, turned around, and found herself staring into the face of a very shocked Robert Crawley.


	10. Dials

_Well sorry for like the 2 month delay in chapters, guys! Totally thought I would have time during my Christmas break but I guess not. I am determined to see this through to the finish though. Reminders that this story takes place in a world where the Christmas Special never happened and apologies in advance for any Americanness that I may get intertwined ;)_

Cora walked quietly into the living room and peered in to see Pat leaning over the table, his face one of intense concentration. Cora glanced up at the clock. It was just after ten.

"Surely you are going to bed soon?" Cora asked.

Pat jumped and dropped the object in his hands, his hand flying to his chest. "Geez what are you…you scared me!"

"Sorry," Cora grinned sheepishly before walking into the room. "What are you working on?"

He held up a small dial and indicated to his desk in front of him. A large white circle lay there, taking up almost the entire desk. Cora squinted down and noticed small lettering. _1345, 1346, 1347…_

"It's the dial for the time machine." Pat placed the dial in the circle in the front and clicked it into place. "Damn," he said. He removed it and started shaving it thinner.

"You really think that you are going to make it work?" She asked, her face one of doubt and excitement at the same time.

"Well it will take a lot more work, but I think that I can," Pat spoke confidently. He put the dial down and swiveled to face her. "You still want to be my test subject?"

"Absolutely," Cora nodded vigorously.

He eyed her again. "Why?"

"Time travel has always fascinated me," Cora shrugged nonchalantly before picking the dial up and moving it around in her fingers. "You think that you would be able to have it ready in the next couple of days?"

"No way," Pat shook his head. "There are way more tests that have to be run…"

"What if you ran them all tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?! That is absurd! I don't have the manpower, or the proper calculations…"

"Get them, then" she stated casually before placing the dial down on the desk.

"I don't think you understand, Cora," Pat stood up his face one of amused disbelief. "The tests that we do can take months! We have to wait for data, we need to ensure that animals can first…"

"I have confidence in you." Cora grinned and leaned down, placing a kiss on his cheek. "You're a smart boy."

Pat blushed crimson and turned away from her, sitting back down and mumbling about something.

Cora smiled to herself and headed back to the kitchen, running almost headfirst into Bobby.

"PAT!" He yelled as he was pulling on his leather jacket. Cora winced slightly. "Have you seen the old family album? You know the one where we sat on Santa's lap?"

"I don't know!" Pat waved his hand at his brother impatiently. "Why?"

"Dad is going through all the old family photo albums again and muttering to himself."

Pat put the dial down and sighed. "This is news because?"

"Look dude. All I wanna know is if you've seen it."

"Nope. I've got more important stuff to worry about."

Bobby rolled his eyes, turned to leave, and then stopped. "Oh. Cora. Dad told me I should go do another sweep of the town to look for your husband. Robert? You said his name was?"

"Yes. Yes of course! Thank you so much!"

"Hey you know, the guy shares my name. Gotta help a fellow man out."

Cora frowned. "What?"

"Bobby's my nickname! It's short for Robert, of course." He gave her a boyish grin. "I'll be back soon."

DA

"Mrs. Hughes, I…." Robert suddenly grabbed her and pulled her to him, giving her a huge bear hug. He let go and held her at arms length. Her body stiff and shocked at her employer's surge of affection, she could only look at him with big eyes.

"Thank God. Thank God." He smiled. "You found me. I've been…I've been searching for someone, ANYONE, for…well it feels like it's been days."

"I've only been here for….not long," she responded meekly.

"Well come on then! Let's go home!" He turned around and started heading back towards the house.

"Lord Grantham!" She called out. He stopped and turned back to face her. Walking slowly to catch up with him, she shook her head sadly. "There is no way home."

"What do you mean there is no way home? How did you get here?" He asked, his face now one of confusion.

She shrugged. "The last thing I remember is sitting against a tree with Mr. Carson…"

"Carson?!"

"We went into the time portal after you," Mrs. Hughes responded. "To find you and Lady Grantham and bring you back. Except….something went wrong. We ended up here. In Limbo."

Robert shook his head briefly. "But I don't…what is Limbo?"

"I'm not exactly sure. But the Doctor…he is the one helping us…said there is no way back."

Robert's face fell and he suddenly looked as if he would collapse in a heap on the floor. "No…no. No! There must be a way back! We can't be…"

Mrs. Hughes bit her lip and looked down at her hands. "I'm terribly sorry Your Lordship," her voice cracked slightly as she spoke.

"Cora is all alone," he whispered. He looked up at her, his face now one of grief. "She's all alone!"

Mrs. Hughes took a deep breath. "The Doctor also said…he also said that…when you are in Limbo that….we are forgotten…we no longer exist. I'm terribly sorry that I…"

"So she doesn't know that I exist. She thinks that I'm….I'm not even a memory to her." His voice had gone flat.

"Yes," she replied softly. She took another big shaky breath. Mr. Carson. He wouldn't remember her either.

Robert stood there for a second. "Well I'm not going to stand here and do nothing. I am going to find a way out of here if it's the last thing that I do."

"But Lord Grantham surely…."

"Are you with me, Mrs. Hughes?" He looked over at her, his face a mixture of desperation and determination. He reached his hand out.

She looked at him with disbelief. Was it really worth it? To go on an expedition with her employer? But then again, these were not normal circumstances were they?

Elsie took a deep breath and let it out slowly before taking Robert's hand.

DA

Carson picked his head up and looked around. He thought he'd heard a noise. Something like a loud engine. But just as quick as that, the sound was gone again. He looked down at Mrs. Hughes' body. It was as if she could be sleeping. But he knew better.

He sniffed and carefully lay her body back against the tree. "HEY! YOU!" He said into the microphone, standing up carefully.

"What is it nowwww?" the Doctor's voice came back annoyed. "I think I may have made a breakthrough!"

"Well unless it's a breakthrough that will bring Mrs. Hughes back I don't care. We need to save her!"

"Mr. Carson, I have already told you before that…."

"I don't bloody care what you told me before! She's all alone and she could be scared! And Lord Grantham is probably trapped down in Limbo as well!"

"We can't do anything about that until we bring you and Lady Grantham home!"

"Why not?!"

"THIS portal is closing. And if you BOTH get trapped there then all FOUR of you will be permanently STUCK!" He shouted, exasperated. "Now I don't care what you…." He was interrupted by a loud burst of static again. "Just…..I….do!"

"Wha…what?" Carson said again into the microphone. "You're…there is so much static! What is going on?"

"Hello, hello?" The Doctor said.

"DOCTOR!" Carson bellowed.

"Holy…." The static disappeared again and his voice came through. "There is no need to shout!"

"Why is there all this static?" Carson asked again. He stopped and turned towards the road again when he heard the loud engine sound. What on EARTH…?

"We may be breaking up," the Doctor replied. "I am talking to you from the past remember? And the technology I've given you for use is from the future and YOU are in the future…"

"So I'm running out of time?"

"Basically," The Doctor sighed.

Carson ran a hand through his hair and glanced down. He gasped. Mrs. Hughes' body was gone.

"Oh my GOD!" He yelled. He turned around in a circle quickly.

"What?! What is it?"

"She's gone!" Carson looked around the other side of the tree and glanced down again towards the road.

"What do you mean she's gone?""

"I mean her body disappeared!" He took a shaky breath and attempted to calm his racing heart.

"The portal may have taken it from us."

"You mean to tell me that an inanimate object STOLE a BODY!?" He shouted into the microphone. This disturbed some birds in a tree nearby that made a loud noise and fluttered away.

"Will you keep your voice down?" The Doctor spat from the other side. "Do you want to get caught?"

"This is…this is too much for me." Carson put his hands up in the air, as if the man could actually see him.

At that moment, the engine noise came back and he groaned in frustration. It was so LOUD.

"I..I can't hear myself think," Carson put his hands to his ears.

"GO. Go find Lady Grantham, NOW. You are wasting precious time. I don't want to hear from you again unless you've gotten in trouble or found her."

"But…" Carson stopped. He squared his shoulders and took a deep breath. "I'm not going to give up," he muttered to himself. "I'm NOT." He glanced back down where Mrs. Hughes had lay only minutes before. "I will find you."

He set off towards the road.

DA

"Do you think that we will find anything in the house?" Elsie asked as they started up the gravel path.

"I just don't know anymore," Lord Grantham shook his head. "I searched all through the town…there were people but they….I don't understand where they are all from!"

"I think they are the lost souls the Doctor was telling us about…." Mrs. Hughes trailed off.

"Lost souls?" Robert halted and looked at her, his face one of fear.

"The people trapped here, like us. But I don't know why we can't speak with them."

"This is all just so surreal," Robert spoke up. His voice sounded strange to Elsie, as though he was attempting to fight back his emotions. She didn't blame him.

"Your Lordship and Ladyship fell through what is called a "time portal" directly next to your bed," Mrs. Hughes stated. Robert pulled open the doors of the house and she walked in as he closed the door behind them. "We were supposed to get you back there and go back through."

"Did you find her? Cora?"

Mrs. Hughes shook her head. "Maybe Mr. Carson did. There is still hope." She smiled at him reassuringly.

Robert took a deep breath and then let it out in response. He glanced around him. The house was totally deserted. The clock on the wall was frozen, not moving, not making a sound. The emptiness was rather eerie.

"Should we go and check the bedroom?" Robert asked her. Mrs. Hughes blushed slightly and looked down at her hands. "Your Lordship. I'm not sure that would be quite appropriate…"

"Mrs. Hughes in this situation I believe propriety is the least of our worries," he raised his eyebrows, looking a little too much like Carson for Elsie's taste.

She grimaced nervously and nodded, lifting her dress slightly as she followed him up the main staircase. Robert opened the door and waltzed right in, as Mrs. Hughes stopped nervously in the doorway looking around.

"Do you see anything?" She asked.

He pointed down to the floor right beside Cora's side of the bed. "Right here? This is where it was?"

She nodded and he put his hands on his hips, a look of disappointment on his face. "Well there is nothing here." He reached his leg forward carefully and touched it with his foot. Nothing. "Perhaps it is somewhere else in the house?" He looked back up at her and she shrugged.

"We need to keep searching," Robert reiterated. "I just don't know…"

"The Doctor was in contact with Mr. Carson. When we came through the portal. If we can get back to him, he can get us out." Mrs. Hughes glanced around the room again.

"Well in the meantime, where else can we look?!" His face now one of frustration he walked over to the wardrobe and threw it open, glancing inside.

"We might as well check the whole house," Elsie announced. She stood up straighter.

"Oh but Mrs. Hughes that would take forever," Robert gave her a shocked look.

"Well we have forever, don't we?" Just then, Mrs. Hughes felt something brush past her. She leaped forward and yelped, swiveling around. A young man stood there, in what appeared to be attire from the 18th century.

"Hello?" Elsie asked him. He looked at her, his expression one of shock. "You…you can see me!"

"Yes, yes of course!" She excitedly turned around, nearly face-planting into Robert's chest.

"My good man!" Robert extended his hand and the man shook it grinning from ear to ear. "Human contact, it is quite hard to believe!"

"We are looking for a portal of some sort, a way of getting home do you by any chance know where it is?" Robert asked.

The man shook his head as his face fell. "I've…I've completely lost track of any sense of time."

"There is no way to tell time here," Mrs. Hughes looked at him sympathetically, exchanging a look with Lord Grantham.

"Please will you…if you find a way back. Take me with you?" He reached a hand out to touch Mrs. Hughes but it fell through her again.

She frowned. "What are you…?"

But he was gone.

"Where did he go?!" Robert turned to her, his face stricken. "Will we see him again?"

Mrs. Hughes shook her head. "I don't…I don't know."

DA

Cora walked slowly up the steps towards the bedroom. She felt even more exhausted tonight if that was possible. She ran a hand over her face and sighed, opening the door and setting a glass of water beside the bed. She felt as if she could sleep for a hundred years.

Suddenly she heard talking and she walked back towards the opening of the door. It was coming from the room next to hers. She put her ear to the wall and listened. It was Matt's voice carrying through.

Chuckling to herself, she peeked into the room next to hers. The door was cracked and Matt was sitting cross-legged on the floor, family photo albums spread around him in a large circle.

Cora knocked briefly and pushed the door open. "Hi!"

Matt looked up at her briefly before leaning back over the albums.

"Bobby told me you were going through all the old family photo albums."

"Yup," he responded. He squinted really closely at a photo, glanced up at Cora, shook his head and put it back before turning the page.

"Is there something in particular that you are looking for?" Cora asked. She walked over and sat down across from him.

"No. Just re-visiting memories," he responded.

"You seem rather determined." Cora tried again.

Matt looked back up at her. "Do you need something?"

Cora bit her lip. "I…oh nothing." She sighed slightly as she stood up. Truth is, Matt reminded her a bit of Robert and she wanted his companionship. "I'm going to try to get some sleep."

She was almost out the door when Matt's voice stopped her.

"You have…have many daughters did you say you had?"

"Thr…two," Cora fixed herself quickly and smiled briefly. "Good night." She shut the door behind her and felt a lump rising to her throat. She put a hand to her mouth and stifled a sob. She took a shaky breath and walked back into the guest bedroom. She sat heavily on the bed.

"God," she whispered, looking above her. "If you're there…please. Please help me find Robert. Help me find my family." She buried her face in her hands and started to cry.

Suddenly she heard a loud sound from the room next to her, almost like a chair crashing over. She gasped and jumped up from the bed, moving towards the opposite wall. She wiped at her eyes.

"A HA!" Matt yelled. "I KNEW IT! I FUCKING KNEW IT!"

Cora frowned. Veronica and Pat came tearing up the steps, stopping in front of Cora's bedroom. Ignoring her tear-stained face, they stared at the door next to hers. Then all of a sudden, it was thrown open. Matt was waving a photo around in his hands, looking somewhat insane. His eyes ablaze he shook it in front of Veronica. "Did I not tell you?"

Confused she looked at her husband and then over at Cora. "Matt have you completely lost your mind?"

He waltzed past his wife and waved the photo in front of Cora's face. "Explain THIS!" He thrust it at her and took a step back, his chest heaving.

The photo was yellow, crumbling slightly at the edges with age. Cora stared down at the photo. She shrieked and dropped it on the floor, her hands covering her mouth in shock. "Where did you…where did you get that?"

"So I was right." His chest still heaving, Matt pointed to the ground. "I..I was right. You….that is you."

Cora continued to gape at him.

Veronica leaned over and picked the picture up. Gasping she nearly dropped it too until Pat grabbed ahold of it.

"That…that's you," Pat replied, pointing at Cora. "That's you in the picture!"

"Who are they?" Veronica asked, her face still one of astonishment.

"My great grandmother and my great grandfather," Matt replied, his voice now hollow almost in shock. Taking the picture, he turned it around and read from the back. "Lord Robert and Lady Cora, 1918."

All three of them swiveled back around to face Cora.

Cora gulped, opened her mouth, and then closed it. She took a deep breath. "I guess I have a lot of explaining to do."


	11. Ink

"Nothing in this room, Your Lordship." Mrs. Hughes re-emerged from one of the guest bedrooms just as Robert emerged from one across the hall.

"Nothing in here either." He sighed and sagged against the wall. "It feels as if we've made no progress at all on this floor! At this rate it will take three weeks just to search the entire house!"

"There must be some way to narrow our options!" Mrs. Hughes hit her fist into her hand with determination.

"If there IS anything to find," Robert responded, discouragement evident in his voice. "What are we even looking for? What if it's not here?" He placed his face in his hands for a moment before looking back up at her.

"Well. We have all the time in the world do we not?" She gave him a rather sad stare and he nodded mutely. She turned around and started into the next room.

"Wait. WAIT!" Robert called. She jumped, surprised, and turned back around.

"That's it, Mrs. Hughes! Time!" Robert clapped his hands together, excited. He rushed towards her. "This place is timeless right? There is no past, present or future?"

"That's what the Doctor implied," Mrs. Hughes responded, her face one of confusion.

"That means there must be people here from the future!" Robert stated triumphantly.

Elsie continued to stare at him.

Robert sighed. "This means that there are people here who know what is to come! If we can find a way to communicate with them…perhaps they know something we do not! Maybe they are aware of another way…"

"But Your Lordship!" Mrs. Hughes interrupted, forgetting her manners entirely. "There is no way to speak with them! They keep appearing and disappearing surely we can't…"

"There must be a way…" Robert turned from her and began to pace. "There must be a way to communicate with them!"

"Perhaps we can try to use the telephone?"

Robert's face lit up. He turned and fled down the main steps. Mrs. Hughes, taken slightly by surprise, followed him down quickly, nearly running into him in the entryway. He had the phone to his ear, already a frown on his face. He clicked the mouthpiece multiple times.

He put it down and shook his head. "Nothing. There is no operator."

"Should have known that..." she muttered to herself.

"What if we wrote them a letter? Stuck it in the dining room?"

"Yes of course! And also put one in the master bedroom!" Mrs. Hughes exclaimed. "Someone is bound to see it soon!"

Robert tore open the door to his study and ran over to his desk, pulling out two sheets of paper and handing her one. They began to scribble notes down on the paper.

_To Whom It May Concern-_

_Please help us. We are lost. We want to return to 1920. Do you have any idea how to get back? If you know anything at all, please respond!_

Mrs. Hughes capped the pen and put it down, glancing up at her employer.

"This has to work," Robert whispered as he finished his own note. Mrs. Hughes nodded her head and followed him out. Robert headed towards the dining room and Mrs. Hughes went back up the steps. Carefully peeking into Robert and Cora's room, she deposited the letter on top of Cora's vanity with the pen and took a step back.

Mrs. Hughes blinked and gasped. The pen had moved almost instantly. Walking closer, she peered over the paper.

_We are as lost as you are. If I knew anything, I would have been out of here ages ago._

Sighing, disappointed, Mrs. Hughes slammed the paper down on the desk. More words materialized and she startled a moment before picking the paper back up.

_Remember-you promised to take me with you._

The words sent a chill up her spine. Just then, she heard a shout from downstairs. She ran down the steps and into the dining room, nearly colliding into the table. Robert was holding up the paper. "A response, I got a response!"

"Well what does it say? Do they know where to go?"

"It says 'try the kitchen.'" Robert exclaimed excitedly.

"Kitchen? What do they mean try the kitchen?" Mrs. Hughes' asked, confused.

"Let's find out!" Elsie sighed and quickened her pace as Robert started down the steps by way of the pantry.

_"I'm not so sure we should go down there…" _Cora's words from a couple days before returned to Robert's mind, haunting him. His heart literally ached with missing her. Was that possible? Was it possible to have your heart dry up inside of you?

"Your Lordship?" Robert blinked and looked down into Mrs. Hughes kind eyes. "Are you quite alright?"

"Yes. Yes, of course." He pushed the door open and strolled into the kitchen stopping by Carson's chair at the head of the table. "What did the portal look like?"

Elsie shrugged. "I never saw it. It was…invisible."

Robert sighed. "What if they lied to us? What if this is all some wild goose chase?"

"Better than doing nothing," Mrs. Hughes looked at him sadly and he could only nod in return. He took a careful step forward, waiting briefly before taking another. It looked to Mrs. Hughes as if he was trying to walk through a field of egg shells. She chuckled a little to herself. She turned back around and began to do the same, nearly colliding with Robert a minute later at the end of the room.

Frowning slightly, he started off towards the corner by the door and Mrs. Hughes the other way.

Abruptly stopping, Robert threw his hands in the air. "This is all so purposeless! There is nothing here! We are searching for an invisible…we are NEVER going to make it back!"

"Your Lordship, I think if we just remain calm and…." She tried.

"I will NOT remain calm!" He picked up a small pot and threw it at the table angrily. It slid down the table and landed in Carson's chair. His face red, he buried it in his hands, taking deep breaths.

After a few moments he picked his head back up sheepishly. "Mrs. Hughes, I…I'm dreadfully sorry. I really shouldn't have…"

"It's perfectly alright." Elsie let her breath out quickly. She'd been holding it. She knew Robert's temper was notorious but she had never seen him lose it quite so terribly.

He started for the entrance to the kitchen and nearly ran into a young girl. "Oh goodness, I apologize."

She smiled sadly. "You haven't seen my mother or father have you?" She wore a very short-checkered blue dress, long white stockings, and black shoes. Her dark hair was pulled into pigtails and she held what looked like a very tiny, very thin doll.

"Well what do they look like?" Robert asked, his voice adopting a soft, caring tone.

The girl started to reply but disappeared again. Robert turned to Mrs. Hughes, his eyes full of pain and frustration. Robert pulled out the chair where O'Brien normally sat and plopped down placing his head on the table.

Elsie walked over and stood by Carson's chair, looking down at Robert sadly. "Your Lordship surely…"

"I just need a few moments to rest," Robert replied.

Sighing, Elsie pulled Carson's chair out and froze. Blinking quickly she looked at it, and then around the floor next to it. "Your Lordship? What happened to that pot you threw?"

Robert picked his head up, his face one of confusion. "Huh?"

"It's gone!" She exclaimed.

Robert stared at her for a second before jumping up from the table in excitement. He grabbed a flower in a vase behind him and placed it on the chair. A couple moments later, it disappeared.

He clapped his hands together. "You found it, Mrs. Hughes you found it!" Pulling the chair out, he stepped up on it. He turned around expectantly.

"I don't know…." Mrs. Hughes stared at it. "I'm not sure…."

Robert held his hand out calmly, giving her that look. That one that reminded her of Carson. She let him pull her up onto the chair next to him. They stood there for a few moments before she felt a strange tug beneath her. And they were gone.

DA

"And then Bobby brought me here." Cora shrugged and finished speaking. She wasn't sure what was more amusing: Matt's white face or Veronica's jaw resting on the floor.

"Wicked," Pat muttered.

"And you…you expect us to believe this?" Matt asked quietly, his face now contorting to one of confusion and annoyance. "That may be the most ridiculous story I've ever heard!"

"Wicked," Pat said again.

"After all of that, you are going to accuse me of LYING to you?!" Cora exclaimed.

"Matt, I'm not convinced there is another explanation that makes sense," Veronica interjected. "I think it sounds ridiculous too but…"

"Wicked," Pat stated.

"Pat will you cut it out?!" Matt turned and hissed at his son.

"Dad! Come ON! This is….my project! You can be my project!" Pat said excitedly.

"We are NOT sending her in your time machine!"

"I want to go." Cora said. They all swiveled around and looked at her. "I want to get back to my family."

"Well according to that photograph, we ARE your family," Matt said. There was a long pause.

"I don't belong here," Cora reiterated, looking down at her hands. "I miss my daughters. I miss Robert. And I want to go home. PLEASE. PLEASE just help me," she entreated, tears coming to her eyes.

"Matt we have to help her," Veronica stated in a choked voice, turning to her husband.

"What if this is all some big joke or conspiracy? What if she's just insane?" Matt whispered. His face was one of true fear and Cora's anger dissipated almost immediately.

"What do you have to lose?" Cora replied quietly, staring at him matter of factly.

Matt took a deep breath. "Alright. What do you need from us?"

"I need a way on that time machine," Cora replied.

"It's not going to be ready for months!" Pat said, his face now mirroring his father's frustration. "We can't send you on that thing until we are sure that it works! If it malfunctions…"

"What's the worst that can happen?" Cora asked nonchalantly.

Pat gaped at her. "The WORST? Well death for one…"

"Is there another way back?" Veronica stepped in.

"Well I woke up at the house…"

"THE house. Downton Abbey?" Matt raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, of course! I told you. Robert and I woke up in our bed except it was…some ghastly museum…" Cora shuddered.

"Well can we send you back there?"

Cora shook her head. "We searched the room. Whatever brought us here is gone. But maybe there is something else at the house…"

"Well the place is currently crawling with the police," Pat interjected.

"That's beside the point," Cora waved her arm at him.

"Beside the point!? How are we supposed to get you back inside without the police noticing?" Veronica asked.

"There have to be ways. Or we can use the time machine," she shot Pat a look.

"I know you are trying to guilt me into this, but it's not going to work! I'm not gonna send you into a machine that doesn't work! You could end up in Limbo…."

Pat was cut off by the sound of the door opening. It slammed against the wall. "Would someone care to explain to me what the HELL is going on?!" Bobby cried from the entryway.

Pat turned around and started down the hallway. "Bobby, she told us everything it turns out…who is that?"

" You know, I'm not really sure anymore," Bobby's voice came in from the hallway, sounding agitated. "Because the cockamamie story that he told me…"

Cora leaped out of her chair and ran down the hallway, nearly colliding into Pat. "Bobby, Bobby! Did you find him, my husband?!"

"Nope," Bobby stated, stepping aside.

Cora gasped. "Carson?!"

Carson's face lit up. "M'lady!"

DA

Robert and Elsie landed in a heap on the floor of the kitchen.

"Are you alright, Mrs. Hughes?" Robert asked as he took her hand and helped her up.

"Yes, thank you." She brushed some dirt off her dress and looked around at her. The kitchen was deathly quiet, but the cuckoo clock on the wall was ticking quietly.

Just then, Mrs. Patmore trudged into the kitchen, walking right past them. She opened the stove, sniffed, closed it, and walked back out.

Robert and Elsie exchanged an uneasy glance and followed her into the hallway. Still deserted.

"What is going on?" Elsie whispered.

Robert shook his head. Suddenly, Cora appeared at the bottom of the steps.

"Cora!" Robert exclaimed. She looked right through him and continued down the hall past him, taking a turn towards the servant's quarters.

Frowning, Robert followed her with Mrs. Hughes at his heels. She opened the door into the male quarters with a set of keys. She stopped in front of a door.

She knocked briefly. She went to open it when it opened on the other side, Mary exiting quietly, wiping at her eyes.

"How is he?" Cora whispered.

"Not well, Mama," Mary's voice choked out. "Dr. Clarkson is in there with him now and…" she stopped when Dr. Clarskon exited the room a moment later.

Clarkson shook his head sadly and Mary buried her face in her hands.

"Dr. Clarkson I do not understand," Cora stated her voice shaking slightly. "What happened?"

"That's the thing, I'm not sure," Clarkson responded. "He…he suffered a severe heart attack. But…but there are no signs of an actual heart attack."

"Dr. Clarkson that makes no sense!" Mary cried.

Clarkson shrugged. "He's not fighting. It's rather unlike him."

"I tried," Mary said pitifully, fresh tears pouring out of her eyes. "I told him to hold on for me, but he just…it was like he was somewhere else."

"Mrs. Hughes what…where are we? What is going on?!" Robert exclaimed, his face one of alarm. "Who are they talking about?"

"Mr. Carson," she spoke quietly. He looked over at her, but she had already walked straight at the wall. She went through it.

Robert gasped. And that's when it hit him. They weren't really there. It was like they were…ghosts. He followed her into the room. "Mrs. Hughes how do we…?"

He stopped, however, at the sight of Carson lying on his bed (deathbed). The door opened a moment later and Cora walked through, shutting it behind her.

"Mr. Carson," Cora sat in a chair next to his bed, which Mary had occupied a few moments earlier. "Mr. Carson you must get well."

Carson looked up at her sadly. "I….I can't."

"Listen to me," Cora took his hands in hers. "You can NOT leave me here alone. You can NOT. You are the only other one who remembers them! You CANT you just CANT!"

She spoke with such emotion that Carson reached up his hand and placed it on her cheek. "You will be alright. You have your daughters. I have…I have nobody."

"YES. You DO!" Cora exclaimed. "You have Mary. You are the ONLY father she's ever had, do you understand me? According to her, you are the ONLY father she's ever had!"

Carson took a deep breath before coughing violently. "I…I tried. I really did. But you heard what the Doctor said. He said they are dead. You SAW the bodies," Carson leaned his head back. "No hope."

"That's no reason to give up!" Cora cried, standing up.

"It's EVERY reason to give up!" He said loudly before coughing violently again.

"Enough," Elsie stated quietly.

"Mrs. Hughes, I…"

"I said ENOUGH!" She turned and screamed at him. Tears were streaming down her face. "I want to go back. Please can we go back!" She sobbed.

Completely taken aback by her outburst, Robert turned and followed her out of the room and back out into the hallway.

"They think there is no way for us to come back," she got herself back under control and wiped at her eyes. "They…"

"Mrs. Hughes." Robert's face contorted to one of soft emotion. He took her arm gently. "You and Mr. Carson. I didn't know…."

She wiped at her eyes again and took a deep breath. "Your Lordship I'm….please forgive me. I should not have shouted it was disrespectful of me."

"It's quite alright, Mrs. Hughes," Robert responded quietly.

"I just want to go home," she mumbled and headed for the kitchen.

"We are home," Robert responded.

There was a long silence as Mrs. Hughes stopped in her tracks. Slowly, she turned around to face him. "This is not home. They don't even know we are here…we are like lost souls wandering from place to place…" her voice drifted off.

"If we found a way to communicate with the others we should be able to communicate with them as well." Robert glanced over at the wall and then did a double take. A calendar hanging on the wall said January 21st, 1921.

"Mrs. Hughes…." Robert stated. "Look!" He pointed at the calendar. "Why that's…that can't be right!"

She walked closer and squinted at the calendar. "That can't be!"

"That's months after we left! It was…October was it not?"

She shook her head and looked over at him. "Something isn't right."

"They remembered us…" Robert whispered. "They were talking about bodies…are we…are we dead?"

Elsie's bottom lip quivered and she took another shaky breath. "I'm…I'm not sure."

Robert opened his mouth to respond but she interrupted him. "PLEASE. Can we go back now. This place is worse than limbo."

Robert glanced over his shoulder and watched as his wife shut the door behind her, despair etched across her face. He turned back around. "Yes. I don't think I can stand this for much longer either."

He followed her into the kitchen, took her hand, and the familiar vacuum feeling pulled them downwards once more.

DA

"M'LADY!" Carson explained excitedly. "You…I've found you!" He grabbed the lapel of his jacket. "Doctor, doctor I've found her!"

Suddenly, Cora felt very light-headed. She needed to sit down.

"Cora, Cora are you alright?" Veronica's voice came from a distance place. Cora closed her eyes. The light-headed feeling stopped. She opened her eyes and gasped. She was back in Downton.

The house was totally deserted. She glanced around. "HELLO!" She called out into the house. "HELLO!" She yelled again.

She peeked into the library. Nothing. The cuckoo clock on the wall wasn't moving. She tapped it, but it appeared broken. She ran over to Robert's desk and picked up his pocketwatch. That wasn't moving either. It was as if everything was frozen in time. She started heading quickly for the main steps when she heard noises. They sounded like voices. She put her ear to the servant's pantry. Definitely voices.

She opened the door and tiptoed down the steps, glancing behind her nervously as she went. She stopped in front of the entrance to the kitchen. Someone sounded like they were crying. She put her ear to the door again. A man's voice came through.

Cora's eyes widened and she threw the door open and ran into the kitchen. "Robert!"

Robert and Elsie turned to the kitchen entrance, their faces one of utter shock.

"CORA!" Robert cried. He ran towards her. He reached for her hand but it went right through her.

"No, please. Not again," he looked miserable. "Cora. Cora, darling how did you get here?"

"Where am I?" She asked. "And Mrs. Hughes…what are you…"

Mrs. Hughes shook her head. "M'Lady…it's quite a long story…."

Cora felt her head going fuzzy again and Mrs. Hughes voice started fading.

"Robert, I…I'm sorry I…." Cora closed her eyes again and shook her head trying to clear the fuzziness. She went to open her eyes and found it difficult. Her limbs felt heavy.

"M'lady, m'lady!" Cora tried opening her eyes again and found that with effort, she could. Carson's face was directly above hers, his face one of concern. "You fainted, are you quite alright?"

Cora tried to lift her head and found she now could, and a surge of nausea went through her.

"Carson where are….Mr. Carson…" confused, Cora looked around. "I was just…Robert and Mrs. Hughes."

"What?" Carson asked her, his face one of confusion. "What about them?"

"I think I found them."


	12. Dreams

"You found them? What…what do you mean you found them M'Lady?" Carson looked down with concern at his employer. He took her hand gently in his.

"Ro…Robert. Mrs. Hughes. Downton." She said again. Matt and Veronica gently lifted her and helped her over to the bottom step of the staircase, Pat pushing her head down in between her legs.

Bobby returned with a glass of water a few moments later, but Cora pushed him away. "Carson! My husband and Mrs. Hughes!" She attempted to lift her head, but Pat pushed it back down.

"They were in Downton?" Carson asked.

"Yes, yes! They were in the house! But they were…they were…" she stopped and took a deep breath. She reached her hand over, opened and closed her palm at Pat, who then handed her the glass of water. She took another deep breath. "The house was silent. Time did not move," she finished.

Carson frowned for a moment before turning to the lapel of his jacket. "Doctor. Doctor did you hear that?"

Cora gasped and looked up, Pat as well. Carson was talking into an electrical device that Cora didn't recognize. The Doctor's voice came through. "Some of it, some of it. You said she was out for thirty seconds?"

"Yes, and she keeps talking about Lord Grantham and Mrs. Hughes. A timeless place."

"But it can't be!" his voice came through again, rather loudly.

"How did you get ahold of a microphone?!" Veronica gasped.

"A what?!" Carson asked her.

"Carson who is that?" Cora asked, standing up and then nearly falling over sideways. Bobby caught her.

"He's from the past. He's helping us go home," Carson answered.

"My house? Is he in my house?" Cora gasped. She lunged for his lapel. "MARY! EDITH!" She yelled.

Carson took a step back, holding a hand to his ear.

"OW!" The Doctor let out a string of curses from the other end. "Yes, yes they are here. Stop shouting for the love of…."

"Mama?" Mary's voice came through the microphone.

"Mary!" Cora began to cry as she said her daughter's voice. "Darling, are you…are you alright?"

"Yes, yes Mama I'm perfectly alright so is Edith. Are you?!"

"Yes, yes I'm alright," Cora sniffed. "I miss you terribly."

"Mama please stay with Carson. Come home safe."

"Mama!" Edith's voice came through a moment later, sounding upset. "Mama please. I miss you."

"I miss you too my baby" Cora replied to Edith. "I'll be home soon I promise."

Matt, Veronica, Pat and Bobby all exchanged glances of utter disbelief.

"Mary. Grandma Mary?" Matt whispered, almost to himself as he looked over at Cora and then back at Veronica who looked like she was witnessing the Resurrection.

Cora wiped at her eyes as Carson took back control of the microphone. "Timeless place, Doctor," Carson repeated.

"Well it sounds to me like she was in Limbo."

"I thought Limbo was not a good thing?" Pat jumped in, his face registering fear. "If you ended up there I…"

"She couldn't have been there, her body was here!" Matt interrupted.

"Hello? I am still here," the Doctor said his voice taking on a tone of annoyance. "What I was GOING to say was that she still appears to possess some sort of connection to her husband despite his…." he paused, "errr….absence."

"But what does it mean? Does it mean I'm close to…." Cora trailed off, swallowing painfully.

"We can't know for sure because I…" a wave of static cut through and Carson cursed, yanking the thing away.

"Hello? Hello?!" Cora yelled. Nothing.

"This blasted thing has been doing that for hours now," Carson replied, his face one of annoyance and his tone one of fear.

"It means you are losing the signal" Bobby interjected. "If it's been cutting out like that, it probably means you are going to lose it entirely."

"But we can't! It's our only way home!" Cora cried desperately.

"Well then we are just going to have to figure out another way," Veronica chimed in.

"Regardless, we still have to get you back to Downton Abbey," Matt replied. "Despite the police presence, despite the museum…we have to get you inside."

"I think I might have an idea," Bobby stated. "It's stupid and reckless, but it just might work."

"When are any of your ideas ever not stupid and reckless?" Pat asked, a smirk on his face.

"Never. Let's hear it," Matt said, looking at his son.

"Thank you. For doing this," Cora said quietly, looking over at them gratefully.

Matt waved his hand at her. "We'll have time for thank yous later. You are under severe time constraints."

_We're coming Robert, _Cora thought as she sat down next to her family_. Don't give up hope. We're coming for you._

DA

"Mrs. Hughes that was…that WAS Lady Grantham! And she knows…she remembers me!" Robert looked over at the housekeeper, his face shining. "We have….she knows where we are. She's come to rescue us!"

"M'Lord I…." Elsie started and then stopped. Robert didn't notice her hesitation and peeked around the corner, looking to see if perhaps she had come back. She couldn't bear to see his face fall, not after all the disappointment they'd suffered. Yet, she couldn't help thinking that it was all a mirage, just like the other people in the house. That perhaps Lady Grantham was trapped inside the house too…somewhere….

"Maybe we should find a place to stay, so that she can find us again," Robert said, still rambling on about the possibility of a rescue.

"Perhaps we should just stay here?" Mrs. Hughes responded. "She will come here first next time to look."

"Good idea!" Robert sat down in one of the chairs at the table and folded his hands together, as if expecting her to turn up again at any moment.

They sat in silence for a couple minutes. Elsie glanced over at the clock, out of habit, but it remained frozen, the normal ticking sounds strikingly absent. No birds were chirping, no wind howled through the windows…the silence was utterly deafening.

"M'Lord I…." Elsie started again. "May I speak freely?"

"Of course, Mrs. Hughes," Robert turned his attention towards her.

"I'm just wondering perhaps…if it might be more prudent to develop a new plan…in the event that…in the event that Her Ladyship does not return."

"She will, Mrs. Hughes."

"But what if she doesn't?" She asked again.

Robert opened his mouth, as if to chide her, but then closed it again. He sighed and put his face in his hands. "Of course, you are right Mrs. Hughes. We must have a plan, just in case. Now, what is it you were thinking of?"

Mrs. Hughes paused for a moment. "Well, I hadn't come up with another plan as of yet…I was just thinking that maybe if we brainstormed as we waited, perhaps we could come up with something…"

"Waited for what?" Elsie and Robert looked up in time to see the young man from the master bedroom standing in the doorway.

"You!" Elsie jumped up from her seat. "You…replied to my letter!"

"Yes, of course! I heard voices coming from below the stairs. I knew it must be you two. You appear to have a well-worked plan. Well, let's hear it then."

"We don't have one yet," Robert said, eyeing the man oddly. "That's beside the point, however. We are from a different time, surely we cannot take you with us."

"I'm sure there are exceptions to every rule," he smiled at them, but it made Mrs. Hughes shudder.

"What if you disappear when we are trying to get you out?" She asked.

He shrugged. "My loss, then I'm sure. Oh…blast." He looked down at his hands briefly before rolling his eyes. A moment later, he had disappeared again.

"I have a bad feeling about him," Robert looked over at Mrs. Hughes. He stood up quickly and walked over to her, grabbing her by the shoulders. "My dear Mrs. Hughes, are you alright?"

She looked down at her hands and then up at Robert. "I…I think so, M'Lord. He just…." She trailed off as Robert sat her down in one of the chairs at the table.

"Did he frighten you?" He asked, his face concerned.

"No. When he disappeared I felt…I felt almost as if he had a hold of me," she frowned and looked up into the confused face of her employer.

"What do you mean, Mrs. Hughes, you are right here."

"I KNOW that," she responded, her Scottish lilt kicking in. "But for a second I felt like he was taking me with him. It's strange I know but…"

"I won't let him take you anywhere, Mrs. Hughes. I will keep you safe, until we can get home. I promise."

"Thank you, M'lord," Elsie smiled weakly. Robert nodded and sat back down at the table, his worries forgotten.

But Elsie's weren't. A dark cloud of fear had wrapped its fingers around her. And she knew something bad was going to happen.

DA

_Charles Carson stared across the foyer at Cora Crawley. She stared back at him. Not a sound could be heard anywhere, and it made his heart beat faster. Something was wrong. There was no one here._

_ He glanced around quickly before turning back to Cora. She was staring at him strangely. Then, she beckoned him with her finger, moving quickly towards the servant's entrance to the kitchen. Carson tried to call out for her and found he could not. He practically ran to keep pace with her, huffing as they went down the steps and into the kitchen. He gasped when he saw Lord Grantham and Mrs. Hughes, who both stood up abruptly when they noticed Cora enter._

_ He tried to open his mouth to speak again but nothing came out. It appeared that Lady Grantham was speaking to the other two but they didn't look over at him. Cora turned to smile at Carson but Lord Grantham and Mrs. Hughes were staring at him and frowning. He tried to speak again and found he still couldn't._

_ Frustrated he slammed his fist against the wall. When he looked up, he saw a man standing in the shadows. He was staring at Mrs. Hughes oddly. He started to move towards her. Carson, sensing danger moved forwards on instinct. The man glanced over and spotted Carson staring at him. Suddenly, his face transformed into something hideous and he flew for her. Carson yelled, trying to warn her but no sound came from his throat. Mrs. Hughes screamed._

Carson shot up in bed, panting. He was dripping in sweat and his heart was beating so quickly he feared he might give himself a heart attack. Gasping, he turned beside him and grabbed the glass of water sitting on the nightstand, downing it in one gulp. He took another deep breath to steady himself. A dream. It was only a dream.

He lay back down in bed slowly and closed his eyes. He was just about to drift off to sleep again when he heard a floorboard creak outside his bedroom. His eyes shot open. "Who's there?" he called out in a hushed whisper.

There was a pause. "Carson?"

Unmistakably Lady Grantham.

Getting up slowly out of bed and putting on his robe, he opened the door. "Do you need something M'lady?"

She looked scared. "The dream, Carson. I'm afraid for them."

Carson frowned. "What dream?"

"Robert and Mrs. Hughes and…her SCREAM Mr. Carson it was…"

Carson took a step back, horrified. He gaped at his employer for a moment. "That was…but how could we have the same….?"

Cora walked into his room and shut the door quietly behind her. "Something is very wrong, Carson. I can't figure out what it is…"

"A man. There was a man that reached for her." Carson was pacing now, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know who he was but…is she alright? Please tell me she is alright!"

Cora stared up into the frightened man's eyes and shook her head. "I'm not sure, dear Mr. Carson. I'm not sure. All I know is that every time I go to sleep I make contact with them. And I'm scared that one day I'm going to go to sleep and they just….won't be there anymore."

Carson stopped and took her by the shoulders. "We have to stay strong for them, M'lady. For both of them. If all goes according to plan, then we should be home soon."

A faint smile ghosted Cora's lips. "Downton. Home." She touched Carson's arm. "We have to trust that the connection won't break. And that Mrs. Hughes is ok."

Cora turned to leave and then stopped. "Carson….why couldn't they see you? In the dream?"

Carson shook his head. "I'm not sure. Why couldn't you see the man?"

Cora could only stare at him blankly before shaking her head sadly and shutting the door behind her as she left.

DA

"Yes, hi we are here to clean the carpets in the upstairs wing" the first said to the officer in the foyer.

"Well I don't see anything about carpet cleaners on the list," the officer eyed them suspiciously.

"We were called in an hour ago. Apparently it's an emergency and we are to begin right away."

"I'm sorry, but I just can't let you through right now without clearance. Perhaps you should wait until tomorrow."

"I really must insist. Check with the supervisor."

The officer raised an eyebrow. "Alright. It will be just one moment. Wait here, please."

"Is he THAT stupid?" The second said to the first as the officer turned the corner.

"Yup." The first looked around quickly and then headed for the main steps, taking them two at a time despite the heavy equipment in his hand.

"If you break this…." The second warned, huffing and puffing.

"Oh shut up." They stopped in front of the master bedroom, the first pulling out a paperclip, unwinding it, and shoving it in the keyhole.

"Hurry upppp," the second whined, looking around.

"Done." The door clicked and opened. The first dropped the equipment down on the floor with a slight bang.

"Well thanks for alerting them that we are here." The second grabbed the equipment and started putting it together quickly as the other kept watch by the door.

Just then, they heard loud and angry voices coming from the hallway.

"Oh my god hurry!" The first sounded scared.

The second took the small machine and dragged it over to the right side of the bed, near the dresser. "They said it was here, right?"

"Yes!"

"Good, then all we need to do is plug it in." The two of them left the room, shutting it quietly behind them and walking quickly around the corner.

"Are you sure they went up here?" A voice called. "The door is definitely shut. They might have just left. You're too paranoid."

"I heard a noise up here."

"You're a moron. Head back to your post before they fire you." The voices faded away.

Pat and Bobby Crawley breathed a collective sigh, high-fived, and crept back down the back steps of Downton Abbey.


	13. Schemes

_So only a couple more chapters after this folks ;) Thanks for sticking with me through the frustrating and painstakingly long delays between all these chapters. I am almost done!_

Cora Crawley shut her eyes tightly and then opened them again. What difference did it make? Everything was black. She could hear the voice of Bobby's friend; it sounded like it was coming from a block away despite him being just a few feet from her.

"Yes sir I just told you. I have a delivery to make."

"We have no deliveries on file."

"Yes, you do. Bedding for the servant's hall. My boss was sent the report two days ago."

"Is there a problem?" A third voice cut in. It sounded extremely familiar.

"This man says that the servant's hall is expecting new bedding." The second voice stated brusquely.

"Are you an idiot?" the familiar voice stated. "I told you three days ago that the servant's hall required bedding. The museum opens back up in a few days. Stop holding everyone up."

"Yes sir. Sorry sir."

"You may continue. Down the hall, to your right, and down the steps. DON'T touch anything." The familiar voice snapped.

"Whatever you say asshole," she heard Bobby's friend mutter a little too loudly. He picked the crate back up and Cora tucked herself further into a ball. Thank god she wasn't claustrophobic.

DA

"Come on, come ON," Matt urged at Carson who was climbing up over the top of the roof slowly and panting.

He stopped on the top and stared at the chimney warily.

Matt glanced around and looked down. He made a bird whistle and stuck his ear nearby. A whistle came back. He turned to Carson. "Let's go."

Carson gulped and stepped up to the chimney. He looked down to see Veronica smiling at him, trying to be reassuring. Matt threw the rope down the chimney and she caught it and secured it to the outside of the fireplace.

"Remember, when you get inside you are going to be…"

"In the upstairs hall, I know," Carson cut in. "Head for the guest bedroom, wait for the knock, and then head into the master bedroom."

Matt nodded and stepped aside. His walkie talkie squawked and he picked it up.

"Yeah?"

"Dad. Get off the roof. They found the two workers tied up in the back room."

"Are you shitting me?!" Matt groaned. "That quickly?"

"I think we underestimated them a bit," Pat replied, his voice worried. "Now hurry UP."

"Alright, alright." Matt turned around and started down off the roof on the other side. "Make sure you don't leave the rope there," Matt said and he was gone.

Carson took a deep breath and bit his lip, glancing down the long chimney again. Veronica made an urgent movement with her hands. Carson shut his eyes and said a silent prayer.

He was terrified of heights.

DA

Cora shielded her eyes as they opened the box and light streamed in. She stood up and nearly toppled over. Bobby's friend caught her and she smiled at him, letting go and steadying herself on her wobbly legs.

He nodded at a young woman in the room and left, shutting the door behind him. She silently handed Cora a period dress and turned away politely as Cora dressed quickly. The woman turned back around, looked at her appearance and then nodded.

She handed her a key. "Go upstairs and wait inside the east guest bedroom. Someone will come by and knock on the door three times. That means you're cleared to go into the master bedroom which will be just down the hall."

"I know my own house," Cora muttered, but the woman didn't hear her. She talked into a walkie talkie for a moment and then nodded at Cora. "Go."

Cora peered out the door and shut it quietly behind her venturing out into the hallway. Her heart was beating so quickly, and her breath came harshly; she was sure that someone could hear her.

She had just stopped outside the bedroom when a hand touched her arm. She jumped and let out a tiny shriek, turning to see a young man she didn't recognize.

"Boy, we are jumpy today. What are you doing?"

Cora took a deep breath. She looked at the door, back at the boy and then to the door again. "Well I….I was just….you know I was…"

He rolled his eyes. "You know we have a staff meeting downstairs. You could get fired."

"But I can't…"

He crossed his arms and stood there.

"I will be down in a minute. What are you, the police?" Cora asked, rather rudely.

He sighed, rolled his eyes, turned around and walked down the hall and out of sight.

Breathing a huge sigh of relief, Cora unlocked the door, slipped inside, and locked it behind her.

DA

Carson attempted to wipe the soot off his clothes unsuccessfully, grimacing at the black marks on his face and arms.

"Here." Veronica handed him a clean cloth and the butler's uniform. "I have to get out of here. Get to that guest bedroom and wait for the signal."

She turned around and threw the window open. A ladder was waiting and she climbed down. The ladder disappeared a moment later. Carson closed it as he wiped the grime off his face as best as he could. He changed quickly and opened the door timidly, glancing around. He spied the bedroom down the hall and strode towards it confidently. He opened the door, stepped inside, and shut it behind him. He leaned against the door and sighed. A moment later, he heard voices in the hallway.

"She went in there, sir" Carson heard a young man say.

"Are you sure?" The other man sounded familiar. He heard him turning the doorknob. "It's locked. How could she get in here if it's locked?"

"Sir, she was just acting really bizarre and I didn't recognize her. You told me if I noticed anything suspicious…."

"Yes, yes yes," the familiar voice replied. "Go downstairs. I will take care of this."

Carson opened the door slightly. The man was standing right across the hall, his back to him. He pressed an ear to the door, listening, and Carson stepped back breathing heavily. _Go away go away go away PLEASE._

A moment later, he heard the man's retreating footsteps and breathed out. He waited silently by the door for what felt like hours. He heard footsteps coming back and a moment later, three quiet knocks were placed on his door. He peeked outside and saw a woman turn the corner and disappear.

Cora's face appeared a moment later and she smiled when she saw him. "Carson," she whispered, almost out of relief.

He returned the smile and stepped outside, shutting the door behind him and she him. They turned together and walked down the hall, stopping outside the master bedroom. They knocked three times and Pat opened the door a crack. Seeing it was them, he threw it open. "Come on, come on get inside!"

Just then, loud voices came from down the hall and two men turned the corner almost instantaneously.

Cora shoved Carson in the door and shut it so quickly he didn't even register what had happened until Pat had already locked it behind him.

"What are you do…?!" He started to yell and Pat clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Well, well, well," the familiar voice said through the door. "If it isn't the little miss herself."

"Who do you have hiding in there?" The doorknob turned and Pat and Carson took a step back, their faces full of terror.

Cora said nothing.

"Well, it's high time we turned you over to the authorities," he heard their retreating footsteps and then whirled on Pat who had already made his way over to his parents and Bobby.

"We have to help her!" Carson cried.

Pat nodded solemnly and pulled out the walkie talkie. "Plan B. They have Cora."

He gestured to Veronica who opened the case beside her and pulled out a needle.

"Wait!" Carson cried. "She's not here! I can't go to sleep yet!"

"There isn't time!" Bobby cut in. "We may have seconds to send you both off. You need to be ready to go."

"The Doctor said you can't send us both at the same time!" Carson argued as Veronica yanked up his sleeve and swabbed him with a wipe. "He said that…"

"I know what he said," Pat replied as he fiddled with some dials on the walkie talkie. "We will do our best, Carson. You need to trust us."

"Ready? You will feel a pinch. Then I need you to count down from 100," Veronica said.

Carson took a deep breath and nodded, taking a seat on the machine's platform. Moments later, he felt a pinch and then Veronica stood up next to him.

"100….99…98…97….96…" the last thing Carson remembered were the lights in the bedroom flickering, and then everything went black.

DA

Cora Crawley could recall very few instances in her life when she was more terrified than she was now. Standing in the foyer, surrounded by what looked like a dozen officers and Frank (that was him! The guy who had caught her and Robert before) standing only a few feet away. He grinned smugly at her as the cop secured a pair of handcuffs around her wrists.

"Maybe now you will be a bit more forthcoming about your thievery," he snickered.

Cora turned her head from him, refusing to even look at him. She wouldn't give him that benefit.

"Perhaps you would like to let us know where your husband is," he jabbed a finger into her chest.

"Hey, let us do our job here. Don't you touch her," one the of the officer's snarled. Frank merely rolled his eyes and took a step back, surveying Cora as if she were some prize at the fair.

Just then, the lights started to flicker.

"What the devil…?" Frank glanced around and then barked orders at a woman standing next to him about checking the electrical circuits.

The lights flickered again.

Cora couldn't help but smirk at his disquiet and he glared at her. "Something funny?"

"The fact that my house is under your control is laughable to me," Cora replied, unable to restrain herself any longer.

"YOUR house?" Frank returned. "This is a museum that…"

"Yeah, yeah," Cora turned away from him again as the lights flickered for a third time.

"I will have you know that I plan on sitting in at your trial. I plan on making sure that you go away for a very, very long time…"

"For stealing some fruit from a museum's kitchen?" Cora turned back to him, her eyes ice cold. The cop standing by her was snickering now.

"I could hand your ass to you on a platter" Cora spat at him. She stopped and gasped at her language, and then started laughing at herself.

"She's a loony!" Frank took a step back. "She's a right…"

The lights flickered again and then went totally out. Suddenly bathed in darkness, Cora glanced around, looking for a source of light.

She felt a hand grasp her arm firmly. "Quickly and quietly follow me," a woman's voice said. The same one from before.

Cora trailed after her, bumping into people in the dark, her footsteps muffled by the sudden chaos and cacophony of voices asking for light. Frank's loudest of all.

She nearly tripped over the first of the steps but the woman caught her. She started up the steps quickly, trying to make as little noise as possible. They stopped in front of the master bedroom. The woman knocked three times and was gone in a flash.

Matt opened the door, breathed a sigh of relief, grabbed her, and pulled her inside of the bedroom, shutting it behind him.

Someone shined a flashlight towards her eyes and Cora shielded her face, confused. "What is going on? Where are the lights?"

"Someone at the electrical company owed me a favor," Bobby's voice cut through the darkness.

"Yeah for drugs" Pat replied. She heard the sound of skin-to-skin contact and then Pat. "OW you bastard that hurt…."

"We don't have time for this!" Veronica whined. She grabbed Cora's arm and pulled her over to the platform, where Carson was already sitting, slumped forwards.

Cora felt something wet on her arm and let out a shriek.

"It's just the wipe calm down!" Veronica replied.

Just then, the lights came back on. Everyone froze for a moment, squinting at the sudden brightness.

All of a sudden, it was totally quiet. Pat stepped away from the machine to exchange a look with his parents. Then, angry voices came from downstairs, growing louder and louder.

"SHIT," Matt swore. "They know she's gone, we have to get going! Send Carson first!"

"No, Dad, we don't have the time! The lights were supposed to be out for longer than that!" Pat let out a string of curses and started fumbling with dials.

"The Doctor said we can't send them at the same time because…"

"I know what the fucking Doctor said!" Pat cried. "But there is NO time. They both go, or they don't! It takes MINUTES for this blasted machine to fire up and send someone off and we can't do that!"

Cora looked between them, horror dawning on her features. "Look, if this doesn't work we can only…"

"We have one shot at this. The odds of more than one of us getting caught are high enough as it is," Bobby interjected. "Enough with the small talk, you've gotta go."

Veronica pulled the needle out and Cora grabbed her arm. "Thank you." She smiled. "Thank you all. This means so much to me. I will never forget it."

"Neither will we," Matt kneeled in front of his great grandmother and smiled. "Tell Grandma Mary that I love her. And that I'm sorry that my eight year old self set her cat's tail on fire."

Cora giggled. "I wish that we could all meet again…" She reached forwards and put a hand on Matt's shoulder, another on Veronica's.

"We will," Veronica smiled. "Family always finds each other."

They were interrupted by distinct voices this time. "Try that room, down there!"

"It's ready!" Pat took a step back.

"Safe travels," Veronica stuck the needle in Cora's arm and took a step back.

Cora surveyed her family and smiled. She heard what sounded like a machine whirring, pounding on a door, and then nothing.

DA

Cora opened her eyes and squinted up. She was lying down on her back, staring up at the bedroom ceiling of her and Robert's room. She sat up quickly. All the blood rushed to her head and she groaned before lying back down carefully.

"MAMA!" She heard Mary's voice first and then Edith's. She opened her eyes again to see her daughters staring down at her, tears in their eyes.

"It worked," she gasped out. "It worked!" Her daughters tackled her and she looked over to see John and Anna Bates, Thomas, O'Brien, Matthew, and another man she didn't recognize staring at her.

"I missed you my darlings," Cora grinned through her own tears. She sniffed and turned to the man. "Are you the Doctor?"

He nodded soundlessly.

"Mama, we thought you would never come back!" Edith cried, sounding like a little girl again. "We were so worried! Are you hurt?"

"No, no I'm fine. I just might need some help getting out of these…" she made a face as she felt the cold bite of the metal handcuffs against her skin.

"We should get you bathed and into some fresh clothes. The Doctor should take a look at you as well and make sure that you aren't…"

"I'm FINE, darling" Cora interrupted Mary's fussing. "They only gave me a drug so that I would be sleeping when I traveled back through the machine. I'll be alright." Cora leaned to her left to try and stand up and hit against someone's arm. She turned. It was Carson.

"Carson?" She asked. And then she gasped.

To his left lay Robert. And then Mrs. Hughes. All in a line, as if they'd been dropped there together.

And none of them were moving.


	14. Air

_I would say enjoy, but this is probably the climax of the entire story. So…prepare for some serious intensity._

Carson gasped and opened his eyes, trying to suck in a breath of air. It was difficult, he found and his head was pounding. Reaching up to touch the side of it with his hand, he sat up gingerly and looked around. He was lying in the middle of the foyer. It was deserted.

Frowning, he went to stand up and found that the walls were spinning around him. He lurched forwards and grabbed onto both of the banisters to hold himself up. He felt incredibly drunk, yet he couldn't recall having any alcohol. Glancing around, confused, he tried to take another deep breath and found he couldn't. He coughed and sputtered. He headed towards the servant's stairs and stopped. He could hear voices, and scared ones. They sounded so familiar….

He felt light-headed but pushed forwards, opening the door a crack. He slowly moved down the stairs, biting his tongue to keep from fainting. It was getting more and more difficult to breathe, as if the house around him was losing oxygen.

He went to open the door and stopped, leaning over to try and breathe. He heard a frightened shout from the kitchen before losing consciousness.

DA

"Carson?" Cora asked again, shaking his arm.

"Robert!" She leapt to her feet and ran over, collapsing in front of her husband. She gathered his face in her hands and shook him slightly. "Robert, Robert wake up! Darling PLEASE!" Nothing.

She looked over at the Doctor, tears pooling in her eyes. "Are they dead?!"

The Doctor bit his lip. He leaned over and felt Mrs. Hughes pulse, the body lying closest to him. He shook his head slowly. "I don't think so I think….I think they are still in Limbo."

"I don't understand!" Cora replied, her voice shaking with emotion. "We came back through the time machine. We listened to what you said we…." She stopped and took a deep shaky breath and found it a little hard to breathe. "Carson was with me he…." She went to take another deep breath and coughed.

"Mama are you alright?" Edith asked, concern etched in her tone.

"Yes, yes I'm alright darling." Cora gripped her husband's lifeless hand in her own.

The Doctor frowned and shook his head, confusion etched across his face. "I'm not sure why Carson is in Limbo. Perhaps it's because he did not return with Mrs. Hughes?"

"But why are they all here?!" Cora gasped out, gesturing to their bodies. "I didn't bring them back with me."

"Lord Grantham and Mrs. Hughes' bodies were still attached to your own," he replied. "Since you left with their bodies, you return with them. But their minds…." He trailed off and then put his head in his hands. "You two came back at the same time didn't you?"

"What do you mean the same time? Of course we did!" Cora stood up, her face now tinged with anger. "Look if you think you can…"

"I told him. You weren't supposed to go through at the same time," the Doctor replied, his voice low and sad.

"I don't BELIEVE this," Cora threw her hands in the air and stormed over to the Doctor jabbing her finger into his chest. "There should not be so many rules for time travel! Now I want my husband back! And I want to know where Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes have gone!"

"I told you they are in Limbo. We can't get them back."

"What do you mean we can't get them back?" She breathed out, her voice now laced with despair.

The Doctor said nothing, dropping his head to look at the floor.

"What do you mean we can't get them back?!" She asked again, her voice growing shill.

When he didn't reply, she grabbed onto the lapel of his shirt. "What do you mean we can't get them back?!" She screamed in his face.

"You would have to go into Limbo!" He shouted back at her, looking up. His eyes were weary and bloodshot. "You can't go back there!"

"I have to!" Cora replied, wiping at the tears in her eyes. "I have to. I can't leave them there."

"Mama, please don't," Mary walked up to her, placing a hand on her arm. "Let me go instead. Or Edith." Edith nodded her head but Cora shook her head vigorously and took her daughter's arms firmly. "No. I was the original one. I was the one that caused this mess to begin with. It needs to be me."

"Mama, it wasn't your fault…"

"I know." Cora looked back over at the Doctor. "What do I need to do? Please, please tell me what I have to do."

"This is incredibly dangerous," he stated, taking her arm gently. "You may not make it back."

"We will. We'll make it back. All four of us." Cora sobbed out, desperately.

He took a deep breath. "I can't let you go…."

"You have to…"

"I CAN'T."

"I HAVE TO," she shouted.

The Doctor stared at her for another second before sighing in defeat "Alright. We will need to open a portal back up for you."

"You can do that?" She asked, frowning in confusion.

He nodded.

"You've been able to do it this whole time and you didn't…?!"

"Lady Grantham, you can stand here and interrogate me on time travel or you can try to save your husband and employees. Which will it be?"

Cora tried to take another shaky breath and doubled over in a fit of coughing.

He put a hand on her back and spoke quickly in her ear. "Don't make any sudden movements. You have Limbo sickness. Unless you bring your husband back with you, you will both die. Do you understand me?"

"But I'm not in Limbo," she replied harshly. She eyed her daughters who were still looking at them warily as they spoke in hushed tones.

"No but you're husband is, and the fact that you are here and he is back there is putting on a strain of both of your bodies. You are connected. Unless you…"

"I got it, I got it," Cora stated a little too loudly, pushing him away. "I'm short on time. Just get me out of here."

The Doctor nodded and left the room. "I'll be right back."

Cora sighed and sagged against the wall.

DA

Elsie continued to pace the kitchen, running her hands through her hair. Robert eyed her sadly, but said nothing. Muttering to herself, she stopped and then started pacing again.

"Mrs. Hughes, you are only making me more nervous. Won't you please sit down?"

"We're like sitting ducks here," she replied quietly, with a twinge of paranoia in her voice. "We are sitting ducks and someone is going to come along and…."

"Mrs. Hughes!" Robert interrupted. He had never seen her so agitated in his life and he could feel the fear seeping deeper and deeper into him. As if her worry could permeate his own brain.

She stopped for a moment and sighed. "I apologize your Lordship. It's just that I…"

All of a sudden, she felt as if a hand was closing over her throat. She gasped and shut her eyes, missing Robert's own shocked expression.

She opened her eyes to find Robert leaned over the table, his hands over his ears, and his eyes squeezed shut. She ran over and kneeled next to him, putting her hands on his thighs. "Lord Grantham are you alright?"

He slowly removed his hands from his face and turned fully to face her. "Did you feel that?" He asked, his voice shaking.

She nodded. "Something happened. I'm not sure what but…"

"Maybe they got home," Robert whispered. "Maybe Cora and Carson…"

"I hope so," she sat back on her legs. She went to take a breath and found it difficult to breathe.

"Is it warm in here?" Robert asked her, his face flushing. He glanced around, and the room seemed to be shimmering in front of him.

Elsie got to her feet slowly and tried to take another breath, and coughed. She began to panic. "It's happening…it's happening again…." She tried to get out.

"Mrs. Hughes, we have to remain calm."

"I've never felt so helpless in my entire life" she gasped out, tears gathering in her eyes. "I just wish that…."

Robert suddenly gathered her into a hug. Surprised, she clutched onto the back of his shirt desperately trying to breathe.

All of a sudden, the man re-appeared in the doorway. Elsie shouted and Robert turned to see him grinning. He took a protective step in front of Mrs. Hughes who pointed at him. "Stay away from us. You stay away from us," her voice shook.

He put his hands forward. "Alright, alright. If you say so. I just thought you might want to know there is a man in that stairway over there." He gestured with his thumb towards the servant's steps.

Robert exchanged a glance with Mrs. Hughes and walked towards the stairs. Elsie followed him, but the man grasped onto her arm sharply.

"Lemme go!" She cried, trying to wrench her arm out of his grasp.

"If you forget me, you will regret it," he whispered harshly. And suddenly he was gone again.

Elsie took another sharp breath inwards and started coughing desperately again. Robert turned around and helped her over to the door. He pushed it open to find Carson lying there, unconscious.

"Charles!" Elsie cried. Forgetting herself, she dropped to the floor next to him. The impact of her knees on the ground knocked the rest of the breath out of her but she paid it no mind. She leaned over Carson, grasping his face in her hands. "Wake up!"

"Why is he here?" Robert replied, before letting out a short rattled cough himself. "He shouldn't be here!" He looked over at Mrs. Hughes, his face mirroring her own fear, but she wasn't looking at him. She was gently slapping Carson's face with her own hand. Wiping at the tears in her eyes she leaned over and rested her head on his chest.

"Please, please wake up!" She said desperately.

With a great shuddering gasp, Carson opened his eyes. He blinked a few times before frowning. "Mrs…Mrs. Hughes? Is that you?"

"Yes, yes!" She grasped his hand in her own and brought it to her cheek.

"What happened?" Robert cut in.

"Lord Grantham!" He managed before coughing. "It's…I don't know what happened. We were on our way back home, but I woke up here."

"Back home?" Robert asked eagerly. "You were on your way back?"

"We were in the time machine. Your family they helped us and….she must have gone back without me," he finished.

Robert's face showed relief and tears welled in his own eyes. "You said she…Cora's alright? She made it back?"

Carson nodded. He went to take a breath and his face took on a darker reddish tint. "I…I can't breathe" he finished painfully.

"It will be alright. I'm…I'm sure that Lady Grantham is coming back for us," Elsie replied, wiping his brow with her own sleeve. She turned to Robert. "He won't be able to take it much longer. His heart," she replied pathetically.

Robert bit his lip and turned away to hide his tears.

DA

The Doctor finished wrapping the cord around Cora's middle and secured it. She sucked in her breath slightly at its tightness and that led to another fit of coughing. He hooked on another three strands of rope. "You just need to tie this to each of them," the Doctor stated, "so that we can pull you all back in. Give a tug on the rope to ensure that you are okay. Give two sharp tugs if you need me to pull you from this end, got it?"

"Why do you have to pull us? Why can't you just…?

"You have to travel twice," the Doctor finished. "First you will literally feel as if time around you has stopped but we will all be here. THAT is where the portal will be. You have to cross through that in order to get to Limbo. The rope is to ensure that I don't lose you. Got it?"

Cora nodded mutely.

"Listen to me closely, now" the Doctor took her shoulders. "Your husband is your priority. He is the one that traveled through with you. If you can't bring Carson or Mrs. Hughes back…"

She wrenched free from his grasp. "That won't happen."

He nodded sadly and stood up. "Alright. You are all set. Get in, get out. Are you ready?"

She nodded. The Doctor walked her over to machine he had grabbed from his car.

"If you feel like you're going to faint, or can't make it any longer, keep going. If you sit down, you may never get up, do you understand?" He asked, albeit somewhat harshly.

She nodded again and took a shaking step into the small machine. Her daughters stood a few feet in front of her like blurry mirages, until Cora realized she had started crying again. She heard a noise and then suddenly it was as if time had stopped.

She took a step outside of the machine. The Doctor was frozen, his hand on his machine and Mary and Edith stared back at her, as if they were human sized dolls. Mary had her arm around her sister and both of them had tears frozen in their big, beautiful eyes.

She felt a brief sharp tug on the rope around her waist and she responded with her own to let him know she was ok. He let more of the rope out and she walked over to the side of her bed where it all began. She took a deep breath, and stuck her foot out and saw it disappear. She stepped onto it entirely. She felt a sucking feeling, and then she was gone.

DA

Robert suddenly felt a huge wave of dizziness surge through him and he felt like he was going to throw up. His ears started ringing again and he put his hands over his ears. He looked over at Carson who had shut his eyes tightly.

Mrs. Hughes' eyes were shut as well and she was shuddering. Robert scooted over and removed his hands from his ears, holding Carson's hand in his own and placing his other over Mrs. Hughes hand that was covering Carson's.

Elsie went to take a shuddering breath and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Robert reached over and slapped her face and she came back.

"Are you alright?" Robert asked loudly. He felt like they were in a vacuum of some sort, sounds were fading in and out. And then, suddenly, it was gone.

Robert let go and stood up, taking a deep breath. And another.

Carson took a few shuddering breaths and then began to sit up. "What…what happened?"

Elsie looked between the two men, relief washing over her features. "We've…we are…" she stopped and lifted her head. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Carson responded.

"It sounds like…"

"Shouting," Robert finished looking up. The voice was getting closer and closer and it sounded…

Robert looked, disbelieving at Carson and Mrs. Hughes, before running for the door towards the kitchen. "CORA!" He yelled.

He threw the door open. She was standing right there.

"Robert!" She sobbed, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Darling, oh my darling!" Robert picked her up off of her feet and whirled her around in a circle. She laughed through her sobs.

"Are you alright, are you hurt?" She placed her hands on his cheeks, and then she was caressing his eyes, his nose, his mouth.

"I'm alright, I'm alright are you?" Robert responded, kissing her cheeks.

Cora nodded again and kissed him full on the mouth wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

Mrs. Hughes turned away and looked over at Carson, who was already staring at her, his own eyes misty. "Mrs. Hughes, I…"

"Ssshhh, shhh" she interrupted him, wiping at her own eyes. She shook her head. "Not now, Mr. Carson." She gripped tighter to his hand.

"Here, here," they were interrupted by Cora who had walked over to them. She handed them each some rope that was dangling from her waist.

"What the…." Carson started.

"We don't have much time," Cora said hastily. "Tie it around your waist, quickly. The Doctor is going to pull us back home."

"The Doctor, who is the Doctor?" Mrs. Hughes asked as she struggled to tie the rope around her waist.

"He helped us get home," Carson responded and leaned in to help her with the rope.

Mrs. Hughes looked away to hide the blush creeping up her cheeks.

"We have to go, now!" Cora responded. She gave a tug on her rope. A few seconds later, a reply tug came back. They headed back up the steps towards the foyer. Cora first, then Robert, Carson, and Mrs. Hughes bringing up the rear. They walked into the lobby and stopped.

Cora turned to them. "We just need to head up the steps and back into the bedroom. The portal is in there and it will take us back."

The other three nodded in response. Cora started up the steps. Elsie sighed and followed them, trudging slowly. They were close, they were so close…"

Suddenly, she felt a hand grab onto her arm and she let out a shout in surprise turning around. Her sudden halt caused the rest of the group to lurch and stop.

The man from the kitchen had a hold of her arm and his face was stormy.

"You promised not to leave without me," he said angrily. "You broke that promise."

"We never promised you anything," Robert replied, moving slowly towards them. "Now let her go."

"Take me with you."

"We can't! We aren't from your time. If we take you back with us, you could die!" Robert responded.

His grip on Elsie tightened and he started to drag her back down the steps. Carson grabbed her other arm. "Let. Her. Go," he snarled.

Elsie let out another shout as they pulled her body between them.

"Robert do something!" Cora shouted. Robert moved quickly down the steps and went to grab ahold of the man's arm but he couldn't get a grasp on him.

"I can't!" He gasped out.

Cora turned around and gave a sharp tug on the rope twice. Suddenly, she felt a sharp strong pull and they all lurched forwards.

Cora screamed and Robert fell backwards, back up the staircase, and landed back between Carson and Cora on the steps.

Another sharp pull came again and they were all lifted off their feet and started falling sideways.

Cora and Elsie screamed again and Carson let out a shout as they all plunged sideways over the bannister into the foyer.

Cora gripped tightly onto the rope. She looked over her shoulder to see Robert, Carson, and Mrs. Hughes dangling over the bannister, saved from falling by the ropes around their waists.

The man still had ahold of Mrs. Hughes and was pulling, pulling. Carson gripped her tightly but his hand was sweaty and the rope was fraying.

"Mrs…Hughes…" he gasped out, looking down at her terrified face.

"Just let go," she responded. "Just let go."

"No…we are not leaving without you…" Robert was pulling at Carson desperately, trying to help. Cora gave four sharp pulls on the rope. "Help, help! Hurry!" She screamed towards the master bedroom.

Another lurch pulled them upwards again, followed by another.

Carson nearly lost his grip on Mrs. Hughes as Cora climbed over the bannister and started pulling at them.

"I won't…stop you…from getting…home…" Elsie grimaced. She gasped as the rope frayed further.

Cora was crying again as she sharply pulled at the rope again, and again, and again…

But it was too much weight. The rope snapped.

"NO!" Carson screamed as Elsie's fingers wrenched from his grasp and she fell.

"ELSIE!" Carson shouted, his voice cracking with grief, as she fell backwards into the foyer and disappeared into thin air with the man.


	15. Home

_Last chapter everyone! I'm not as happy with it as I would like (but then again I never really am). Thank you to everyone for sticking with me through the end, your reviews and comments have meant so much to me. I hope you like your ending! _

Time seemed to freeze. Cora's eyes widened as she leaned over the bannister, reaching over it for Mrs. Hughes. As if she could have done anything from her position. Robert shouted after her a moment after Carson before turning away, his face now one of pain and confusion. Robert looked up at Cora then, and there were tears in Cora's eyes, making Robert's face blur together. The rope gave a mighty yank from the other end again, and Cora fell backwards on her butt landing in the doorway of the master bedroom.

Robert climbed over the banister a moment later, clambering over to Cora and wrapping his arms tightly around her. She buried her face in his neck and started to sob, huge gut wrenching tears. Whether they were for Mrs. Hughes, Carson, her and Robert, or exhaustion she didn't know. The rope gave another yank and she gasped and cried out as she was pulled off of her feet again. Robert caught her.

"What do we do?" She gasped out, clinging to Robert again. "What do we do?"

"We can't leave her," Robert replied, a defeated tone in his voice.

"What if she's dead?!" Cora cried, another sob escaping her. "What if he killed her?!"

"What if she's not?" Cora and Robert turned to see Carson standing in the doorway. He was hunched over slightly, as if he was bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"Carson…" Robert started.

"Don't. M'Lord." Cora had never heard Carson speak so crisply to her husband before. Robert opened his mouth and closed it again, surprised at Carson's unaccustomed rudeness.

But when Robert walked over to Carson, he didn't see anger or defiance. He saw weariness and determination.

"You CAN'T," Robert's voice cracked. "You don't know where to look, how long you'll be gone…"

"I have to try," Carson responded. The rope pulled again and Cora turned around and yanked it one time. The tugging ceased.

"But what if you…" Robert tried and he stopped, overcome with emotion.

Carson looked at his boss and tears filled his own eyes, despite his will to keep them away.

"What if you don't come back? What if you lose your life? I could never live with myself."

"M'Lord…this is my decision," Carson responded. "You should not feel responsible."

"You are one of my oldest and dearest friends, Carson. How could I not?" Robert almost looked offended. Carson put his hand on his employer's shoulder. "This is something I have to do."

"Are you sure?"

"I can't live without her."

Robert looked into Carson's eyes and saw truth. He turned around to look at Cora who smiled back at him lovingly.

"We will try to help from the other side," Robert said, sniffing quickly to hide his emotion. "Godspeed, my good man. Make sure you come back the way we came."

Carson nodded as he untied the rope from his waist.

"Carson?" He looked up at Cora who crossed the room. She kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for everything."

He smiled before turning around and walking out of the room.

"Are we ever going to see them again?" Cora whispered.

"I think so," Robert replied. He took his wife's hand and they stepped together into the portal.

DA

Carson could not let himself admit fear. If he did, he would lose his cool. He stopped at the bottom of the steps, and looked up. He felt a strange tugging sensation in his chest briefly before it disappeared. He knew they'd gotten home. He couldn't help but feel his chest swell with pride. If nothing else, he had reunited Lord and Lady Grantham. And that was enough to keep him going.

Where the man went with Mrs. Hughes or where to look, he didn't know. He took a seat at the bottom of the steps and decided to wait. After all, he had all the time in the world.

DA

Robert opened his eyes and sat up, his wife sitting up quickly beside him. They looked up to see Mary, Edith, and half of the household staff standing over them.

"Papa!" Mary shrieked, diving into his arms, much like she did as a small child. He clutched her tightly to him. "You made it back!" She pulled away and touched his face. "We were all so worried."

Cora was getting to her feet and turned to a man that Robert didn't recognize. "There was…there was this man…and he grabbed her…Carson went back…and he doesn't know where to look…" she was gasping the story out. The man took a step to the side and looked down at Carson and Mrs. Hughes' lifeless bodies before looking up at Cora again.

"Who is this?" Robert asked suspiciously

"It's the Doctor," Cora replied simply before turning back around and facing the Doctor. "A man. There was a MAN and he came from nowhere and grabbed Mrs. Hughes and took her with him and Mr. Carson has gone after her."

"What did he say?!" The Doctor grabbed her by the shoulders.

"I…I don't…." Cora pulled back suddenly looking confused. She turned to Robert.

"Something about promises and going home? He wanted to come back with us," Robert responded shrugging slightly.

"Shit," The Doctor said and he started pacing.

"What is it?"

"Time warg," he replied, rubbing at the stubble on his chin. "He's gonna want to come here…we will have to trick him…he can't possibly…"

Cora let out an exasperated sigh and faced her husband, gesturing to the Doctor.

Robert walked over to the Doctor and grabbed him firmly, shaking him slightly. "What…is…a…time…warg?"

"Would you…" he wrenched his arm from Robert's grasp. "They're like parasites; they latch onto your mind and don't let go!"

"But how can you get him away from her?!" Cora interjected.

"You have to trick them," the Doctor conceded.

"Trick them?" Robert asked. "Trick them into letting go?"

The Doctor nodded solemnly.

Cora and Robert exchanged a glance.

"Is there any way to kill them?" Cora inquired.

The Doctor shook his head. "We have to hope that Mr. Carson…that Mr. Carson is able to bring her back."

Cora looked over at Robert again. He saw something in her eyes he didn't recognize. Regret? Shame? He wasn's sure. He reached for her hand but she had already turned around and kneeled next to Carson. She took Carson's hand in her own.

"You've always been one of the bravest men I've ever known," she said quietly. "You helped bring me home. Please. Please bring Mrs. Hughes home too."

Robert kneeled next to his wife and placed his hand over hers.

DA

Carson stared up at the ceiling in the foyer. He had never noticed the intricate designs before. He'd been living in this house for thirty years and he had never noticed that tiny little detail. He sighed and lowered his gaze resting his head in his hands.

_A person could go mad in a place like this, _he thought to himself. He went to stand up when he suddenly felt a strange tingling in his right hand. Frowning, he looked down at it. A moment later, the sensation grew more powerful. It spread a warmth through his body that he had never felt before. As if someone had lit a fire in his stomach.

He stood up purposefully. "I'm going to take you back with us," he announced to the hallway. The brusque stern tone was back in his voice.

"Oh, I thought you'd never ask."

Carson jumped at the voice and turned to see the man standing by the door at the library. He was leaning against it, picking at his teeth with a toothpick nonchalantly.

"Where is she?" He growled.

"I'll bring her with me," he shrugged.

"We aren't going anywhere unless you let me speak with her." The sensation suddenly left Carson's hand and he felt a coldness seize ahold of him. The time warg noticed the change and frowned slightly. "You were just…" he started.

"Mr. Carson?" Elsie peered around the man's shoulder hesitantly, before taking a step out from the library. The time warg made a sudden movement forward and then stopped, letting Elsie past.

"What are you DOING here?" She emphasized as she crossed the foyer and stopped next to him by the master steps. She looked angry.

"I couldn't just LEAVE you with that…"

"Where are Lord and Lady Grantham?!" She interrupted, her face suddenly stricken.

"They made it back, they made it back," Carson reassured her. "It's just me. I wouldn't let them stay."

"You shouldn't have stayed either! You could die down here!"

"So could you!" Carson growled his voice reverberating around the walls. The time warg yawned and looked around the room, clearly bored.

"We are getting out of here," Carson whispered. "I'm taking him with us and we…"

"No you can't!" Elsie cried.

"What other choice do we have!?" He whispered harshly.

"You could have just left me here and saved yourself!"

There was a pause and Carson took a step back. "Do you really value my life that much more than your own?"

Unbidden, tears welled in Elsie's eyes and spilled over. Carson, shocked, at her reaction gaped like a fish. Mrs. Hughes covered her face with her hands, miserably.

"Mrs. Hughes, I…" he took a step forward and stopped again, the tingling returning to his hand. He gasped and held his hand up in front of him, but it still didn't look any different. Hearing his exclamation, Mrs. Hughes picked up her tear-streaked face from her hands and looked at Carson.

"You're…you're…" she frowned slightly. "Mr. Carson you are glowing!"

"What?" He asked her, looking down at his hand again. "I just….it's my hand!" He exclaimed thrusting it towards her face.

Mrs. Hughes reached forward and touched his hand.

_"Did you see that?!" Cora exclaimed, turning to Robert. "Did you see her move?"_

_ "Cora, darling, I didn't see anything," Robert sighed. "You are just imagining things…"_

_ "No, I know what I saw!" Cora cried. "Her hand twitched."_

_ "Now you're saying that they BOTH moved? Look…" Robert removed his hand from Cora's._

Carson and Mrs. Hughes locked eyes. Hers were wide and frightened, his full of relief. He closed them briefly and opened them again. Mrs. Hughes looked down at her hand touching his and then let go.

"No, no!" Carson reached forwards and took her hand in his.

"Mr. Carson, what are you…" she started.

"Did you just see that?"

"See what?" She was lying to him, he knew it.

"We share some sort of connection with Lord and Lady Grantham now," Carson responded, gazing down at his hand in wonder. "If we just…"

"Oh a connection is it?" The warg had appeared out of nowhere. Elsie jumped slightly as he stood by her shoulder.

"Yes." Carson squared his shoulders proudly.

He laughed. "Alright, whatever. Now are we going to go or what? I'm getting very impatient here."

Carson turned back to Mrs. Hughes. "Do you trust me?"

She looked at him for a moment. "What do you mean, do I trust…?!"

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course," she responded simply.

"Then hold my hand, and don't let go, no matter what."

"But what if we…" she interrupted, her voice rising in fear.

"No matter what," he finished.

She looked at him for another minute before nodding again. She took his hand.

_"I felt it that time! I saw them!" Robert exclaimed._

_ "No, no don't let go!" Cora yelled back at him. _

_ They turned to look at the Doctor who looked positively astonished._

_ "What is going on?" Mary's voice resounded in their ears._

_ "I can see them," Cora smiled through her tears. "I can see them, they are…they are ok!"_

_ "Can you tell them what to do?" The Doctor kneeled next to Cora and Robert. "Can you tell them how to get out of there?"_

_ "I'm not sure," Robert answered, looking over at his wife._

_ "We have to try," Cora's voice took on a tone of grim determination. "No matter what, we have to try."_

_ "The time warg is attached to Mrs. Hughes. Carson has to offer something up in return to trick him into letting her go."_

_ "We should bait him," Robert responded confidently._

_ "Yes, and then once he's let her go we pull you all back at once."_

_ "But how will she know when he's let go?"_

The connection suddenly broke. The warg had wrenched Mrs. Hughes' hand free from Carson. "That's enough hand-holding we…"

"I seem to recall agreeing to take you back only if you leave her alone." Carson's voice was ice.

He eyed Carson suspiciously for a moment before letting her go. Carson took her hand again, nothing.

He looked at Mrs. Hughes, his face questioning, but she merely bit her lip and shook her head. She still looked frightened and Carson wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and tell her how much he….

"Can we PLEASE go?" The warg interrupted again. "When my impatience runs out…."

"Yes, yes of course. Mr. Carson, I believe that you know the way back." Mrs. Hughes gestured towards the steps. He nodded before leading her up the steps, followed closely by the warg. They got to the top, he reached the front of the bedroom door and paused for a moment. Taking a deep breath, he continued into the bedroom.

He stopped in front of the time portal, placing his foot on it gingerly. His foot disappeared momentarily before he pulled it back.

"On three, alright? One….two….three." Mrs. Hughes followed Carson onto the portal. She took his other hand in hers, gripping them tightly. She squeezed her eyes shut. Carson leaned forwards and rested his forehead on hers as the familiar sucking feeling beneath their feet took over.

DA

Just when Robert was beginning to lose hope, he felt a surge in his gut. And he knew. He looked over at the spot beside the bed and a moment later, Carson and Mrs. Hughes materialized, the warg in tow. He grinned like a wolf descending on a flock of sheep. But his smile quickly disappeared.

"What is this?" He asked, his voice rising in anger. He glanced around the master bedroom, taking in the frozen bodies of the Downton staff and the Doctor.

"Your Lordship!" Elsie went to walk over to Robert but Carson gripped her hand harder. Remembering at the last second, she took a step backwards.

Carson exchanged a knowing glance with his employer.

Robert was standing awkwardly next to a small machine, his back up against it. It almost looked like Robert was holding someone's hand, but Carson thought maybe that was just an illusion.

"What is going on?" the warg asked again, a note of fear in his voice. "Why are you here?"

"Because I am taking her place," Robert responded. "You are going to let her go and I will take you home."

Carson and Mrs. Hughes exchanged a quick, harried glance before calming when they saw the look on Robert's face.

"And what would be in it for me to take you instead?" It raised an eyebrow and crossed its arms.

Robert shrugged. "Nothing. But then again, there is nothing in it for me either. I'm doing something selfless, have you ever heard of the word before?"

"I'm not quite sure that insulting him…" Carson started but the warg just laughed. "You're a bold one."

"Well, do we have a deal or not?" Robert asked, his face still calm and stony.

He stared at Robert for another moment before nodding slowly. Robert gestured to Carson and Mrs. Hughes who walked gingerly towards Robert as if worried that he might fall over.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Carson whispered to Robert.

Robert didn't respond, he merely continued to stare at the warg intently.

"Your Lordship?" Elsie asked desperately. Suddenly she felt as if a weight lifted off her shoulders. She lurched forward slightly. "Oh my goodness." She put her other hand to her feet. "I feel as if someone…"

She was interrupted, however, because in that brief moment, Robert had taken ahold of Carson's hand.

Elsie gasped and gripped Carson's hand tighter as she felt the world around her picking up and spinning. She felt as if she was on one of those carnival rides, except much worse.

She tried to close her eyes but images were flashing through her mind at the speed of light. She saw a young Dowager Countess holding the hand of a little boy with bright blue eyes, Cora Levinson twirling around on a dance floor, a wedding, Charles Carson dancing on stage with a man she didn't recognize, Cora holding a baby in her arms, Lord and Lady Grantham sobbing over Lady Sybil's lifeless body, Carson singing in his pantry while shining the silver….

And that's when she felt the tug on her arm, she chanced a glance backwards to see the warg grabbing onto her hand. She desperately attempted to shake it off, but images continued to flow unbidden through her mind…..a nightly stroll, Robert scolding a young girl with bouncy golden curls, Cora discussing something with O'Brien…

_"Do you ever wish you'd gone another way? Worked in a shop or factory? Had a wife and children?"_

_ "Do you?"_

_ "I don't know. Maybe. Sometimes."_

Mrs. Hughes looked up at Carson. He was already looking at her, his eyes glistening.

She started to let go of his hand and she felt the spinning start to slow. She turned to look at the warg as it grinned up at her, devilishly. It started to let go of her hand as well, thinking she was slipping.

She reached back up and gripped Carson's hand tighter. The warg lost its grip, screaming as the spinning suddenly picked up speed again. And then everything went black.

DA

Carson opened his eyes. He was lying in Lord and Lady Grantham's master bedroom. He sat up quickly and noticed Lady Grantham stirring beside him.

"Your Ladyship?" Carson asked, confused. "Are you…alright?"

"Yes, I'm…I'm quite alright Carson thank you," she smiled a bit as she sat up gingerly. "What are you…" she stopped and then gasped realization dawning on her.

"We…we were" she grabbed Carson then and hugged him fiercely.

Carson pulled out of the hug. "How did you know…?"

Cora held his hand briefly. "A connection. We share some sort of connection now." She smiled at him.

Carson looked on the other side of Cora to see Robert sitting up as well, and Mrs. Hughes on the end.

Carson half crawled over to her, grimacing at the sudden pain in his knees. He felt one hundred years old. "Is it here, does it have you are you…?"

"I'm FINE" she said, exasperated. "It fell away. We were spinning and I…"

"There is something I've been trying to say to you" he interrupted firmly.

"Mr. Carson…" she warned, looking around. But no one seemed to be watching them.

"My answer is yes."

"I told you that we shouldn't…what?" She paused, looking up at him. Confused, she opened her mouth and then closed it again.

"My answer is yes. I do wish I'd gone another way. With you."

Tears filled her eyes again and she attempted to wipe them away on her sleeve. "Don't tell me you are growing soft on me now, Mr. Carson," she half choked out, half laughed.

"I think about you night and day. I worry about you when you're gone, and my favorite part of the day is saying goodnight to you. And in the future, in the woods…when I thought that you had died…"

"I love you, Charles Carson," she blurted. She put a hand over her mouth and then started laughing. Big guffaws that made her bend over double. She took a deep breath and lifted her head back up.

Carson took her chin in his hand, leaned forward, and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. It was quick, and when he pulled away, she looked utterly shocked. A beautiful pink color began to creep up her neck and to her cheeks, and her entire face was suddenly red. And then she was beaming, taking his big hands in her own.

Cora snuck a glance across the room before turning back to face Robert. She bit her lip and grinned at him before leaning in and hugging him to her. "Have I told you how much I love you?" She whispered against him.

He pulled out of the hug and caressed her cheek with the back of his knuckles. "I love you more than life itself," he breathed before kissing her gently on the nose.

"Doctor what happened? How could we see one another?" Elsie had stood up and walked over to him, as he muttered to himself and threw pieces of the time machine into a container.

"You could see us too?" Robert asked them, shocked.

"It only happened when we all held hands," Cora responded.

"Sometimes…when people time travel together…especially when people bring each other along…" he paused looked down at a screwdriver and placed it carefully into his pocket. "They develop some sort of mental connection with one another. It's very strange." He eyeballed another piece of a machine before shrugging it and throwing it into the container.

"Why?" Carson asked.

"When your minds and bodies are separated, sometimes, they can become intertwined in some ways. In this case, you all have a piece of each other now."

"Will we always have this connection?" Mrs. Hughes asked hesitantly.

"Well. Yes." He smiled and closed the container with a little bang. "And I have to go."

"Already? But how can we ever repay you for helping us?" Cora breathed. "Surely we can pay you or…?"

"No payment required, ma'am." He nodded. "Just saving the universe."

They all exchanged a confused glance with one another. He smiled again mysteriously before turning to leave the room. "Perhaps we will meet again."

Cora looked over at her husband. Robert shrugged and then smiled, taking her hand in his own. He looked over at Carson, taking his hand too. Carson gripped Mrs. Hughes' on the end.

And they knew that everything would be alright. Because they were together. They were home.


End file.
